


Opalescent Tides

by sapphicjasper



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Human AU, Slow Burn, bc i love the Aesthetic., mermaid au, take place in the 90s
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:21:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24598195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicjasper/pseuds/sapphicjasper
Summary: Amethyst wakes up on the shore of Beach City, and she couldn't be more confused.
Relationships: Amethyst/Pearl (Steven Universe)
Comments: 65
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> heyyy i've been craving some mermaid AUs so i finally decided to write one myself! i hope you all enjoy, any comments are appreciated!

Waves crashed against the shore, and seagulls cawed from up above. Though her eyes were closed, the glaring sun bore straight through Amethyst's eyelids. She stirred, gritting her teeth as the sand ground against her blistering skin. Finally, she forced her eyes open, letting out an audible _gasp_ as the sunlight hit her retinas. 

As soon as Amethyst's eyes adjusted to the sun's blinding rays, she finally managed to look ahead. She was the surrounded by beach, the dark and endless ocean... and just behind her was an even darker and more ominous patch of trees. Not a single grain of sand around her was familiar. Amethyst heaved herself to her feet and looked herself over -- her dark brown skin was covered in blisters... She must have been laying in the sun for quite a while, she observed. Amethyst hissed through her teeth as she pulled a layer of skin off of her sunburnt arm. _'Gross.'_

To make matters worse, Amethyst was _thirsty._ The kind of thirsty that made her head throb and her throat feel like she'd swallowed a mouthful of sand -- though, to be fair, that wasn't entirely out of the question. Regardless, Amethyst crouched in front of the water and cupped her hands in it, taking a reluctant sip. 

_'Ugh, of course it's saltwater! Dumbass.'_ she thought with a groan, immediately spitting it back out. _'Guess I gotta find some fruit... Or even running water. There's probably people somewhere, right?'_ It was unlikely she'd waken up on a deserted island -- she had no memory of a shipwreck, or being on a ship in the first place, or... Anything at all, really. Now that she thought of it, she couldn't remember anything. 

_'Alright, don't panic. It's probably not amnesia, I'm just... really fucking sore and thirsty. Maybe I'll feel better once I get some water.'_ Taking a deep breath, Amethyst made her way through the patch of trees up ahead. 

From the outside, the woods had seemed endless; but after only a few moments of walking did she hear a loud _crack,_ followed by the sound of fizzing. Amethyst tensed for a moment and gazed upward, but her fear eased once she saw a beautiful red firework shimmering in the evening sky. _'And where there's fireworks, there's gotta be people!'_ she thought, her heart racing. She quickened her pace and headed towards the source of the noise, grinning even harder as another firework echoed in the woods. 

Her feet soon met pavement, giving her a short moment of relief before the concrete burned the soles of her bare feet. So she quickened her pace until she reached a patch of cool grass. 

Amethyst looked around at the quaint little town around her. The road was lined with various vendors; some were selling meats and vegetables deep fried beyond recognition, while others were advertising toys, games where one could pop balloons with darts, people selling fish in plastic bags... The latter of which made Amethyst shudder. 

"Lemonade! Only twenty-five cents!" a tiny voice drew Amethyst's attention. She locked eyes with a small, curly-haired boy sitting behind a chipped wooden table. His cheeks were bright red from the sun, and he wore a pinkish-red tank top with a yellow star on it. On the table before him, there was a plastic pitcher filled with lemonade (the ice had already melted, but Amethyst sure didn't care), tiny paper cups, and a jar filled with quarters. "Get your freshly squeezed lemonaaaade!" 

As Amethyst approached lemonade stand, she fumbled through her pockets in search of change, but they were filled with nothing but seaweed and grains of sand. _Ugh, really? I don't have anything?'_ she thought. In all honesty, she was struggling to remember what twenty five cents even _looked_ like. Trying to remember _anything_ other than her name made her head ache... So she shook it off. Now wasn't the time for that; dehydration was getting to her, and if she didn't get something soon, she'd only descend even further into insanity. 

"Hey, kiddo!" Amethyst greeted, shoving her hands into her pockets as she approached the boy. 

"Hey, Miss!" the boy greeted. "Do you want some lemonade? I made it all by myself! Well, mostly -- my dad cut up the lemons because he doesn't trust me with knives, and he also helped me squeeze them because I wasn't strong enough... But it's delicious, I promise! And only twenty-five cents! My name's Steven, by the way!" 

"Oh, that's awesome!" Amethyst licked her lips, her eyes locked on the pitcher. "Here's the thing, though... I don't really have any money. At least not right now, but uh -- I'm absolutely _dying_ of thirst, so do you think I could -- " 

"Say no more!" Steven said, thrusting a tiny paper of cup of lemonade Amethyst's way. "Don't worry 'bout the quarter. It's on me." 

Amethyst smiled weakly. "Thanks, buddy. Next time I get my hands on a 'quarter', I'll be sure to pay ya back." She reached for the cup and downed it immediately -- it tasted purely of sugar, with maybe a hint of lemon, but to a woman on the brink of dehydration it might as well have been liquid gold. 

"No problem! And really, it's no big deal if you don't pay me back!" Steven said. "Hey, you gotta place to stay? Not to be rude, but you look like you've been sleeping on the beach." 

Amethyst blushed; with her soaking wet hair, sunburnt skin, and sand-covered tank top and shorts, it wasn't hard to guess, but she still felt self conscious nonetheless. Even after the cup of lemonade, she was still too dehydrated to think... She could barely even remember where her _actual_ home was. But she wouldn't dare admit that; no, she'd find her way back home soon enough, and if not, she'd spend the night at a hotel until she was well again. "Mm... I'm just passing through." she said with a shrug. 

"Ohh, I see!" Steven said, though he didn't look fully convinced. "Well, here's another glass of lemonade for the road! On me." he added with a wink. Amethyst smiled gratefully and ruffled his hair. "Thanks again, little dude." As she turned and headed off, she took another sip of the lemonade and continued on her way. 

As she walked, she glanced around in search of something, _anything_ that looked familiar. _'Do I... live in this town? Maybe I passed out drunk on the beach... But I've never heard of hangovers causing legit amnesia.'_ she thought, scanning all the little houses. None of them rang a bell. 

She glanced back towards the direction of the beach, her stomach turning. _'If I'm not from here, then... Maybe I washed up in some kind of shipwreck? But from where? Ah, but there wasn't a boat anywhere, so maybe not... Or maybe someone mugged me and whacked me over the head...'_ she thought, tapping her head as if it'd shake a screw loose and jolt her memories back into place. Everything was so foggy... And the fact that it was getting dark wasn't helping. With each shade the sky grew darker, a feeling of unease grew within her gut... She could see some of the vendors starting to close up, which only sent her anxiety even further into the sky. The only thing scarier than being lost was being lost _and_ alone, _especially_ at night. 

Amethyst seated herself on a nearby bench, drinking the last few drops of lemonade in her cup. She tossed it into the nearby trash can and rested her chin in her hands. She watched as a family of five walked by, the littlest of the three children holding onto the mother's hand. _'Do I have even a mother...?'_ she thought, gazing down at the pavement. _'Or a family? Anything? Ugh, what the fuck is even going on?'_

She hated just _sitting_ there; part of her knew that she needed to keep walking, looking for a hotel so she could rest her head, or even psychological help... But her body didn't want to move. She felt like she'd been hit by a train; maybe she _was_ beaten and mugged after all. Nevertheless, for the time being, Amethyst leaned her head back against the bench and watched the seagulls as they swarmed above.

* * *

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

With her chin in her hands, Pearl gazed at the worn down cuckoo clock. It had been gathering dust in the corner of the store for months, now; an antique worth a few hundred dollars, and it drew quite a bit of attention for Beach City patrons, but none of them had the guts to actually purchase it... And after weeks of living with it, getting startled by that _obnoxious_ bird every damned hour, Pearl was starting to understand why. 

On cue, the clock struck nine and the bird popped out of its little hole. It cuckoo-ed loudly -- nine times to be precise -- before retreating back to the safety of its little wooden birdhouse. 

"Thank goodness." Pearl let out a sigh of relief. After the longest 8 hour shift of her life, she was finally able to close up. Before any customers could come in for some last minute shopping, she sprinted over to the door and tugged it shut, turning both of the locks and flipping the open sign around. 

Stairs creaked from above, and Pearl turned to smile as Garnet approached. "Hey there! I was just closing up." she greeted. 

Once Garnet reached the bottom of the stairs, Pearl saw that she was holding two milkshakes; one strawberry, the other banana. "Here you go." she said, handing the pink one over to Pearl. 

Pearl beamed with joy. "Oh my goodness, Garnet -- that's too kind of you! Thank you so much, ah..." she said, immediately taking a sip. 

"It's the least I could do. I still feel terrible that you had to work alone on such a miserably hot day..." Garnet sighed, leaning against the counter. 

"No, no, don't you _dare_ let yourself feel bad about this." Pearl reassured, resting a hand on Garnet's shoulder. " _I'm_ the one that told you to get some rest. Working in this heat is already hellish enough -- I couldn't _imagine_ doing it when you're dealing with those unbearable cramps." 

"Still... You'd think I'd be used to it, getting it once a month and all." Garnet blushed, taking a sip of her milkshake. 

"While that is true, sometimes mother nature decides to be a _little_ extra cruel. She likes to keep us on our toes." Pearl smiled, giving her shoulder a comforting pat. "Since our sales were pitiful today, counting the drawer and cleaning the store should be a breeze... And after that, I was thinking of going out for a swim... Would you like to hang out by the pool, perhaps dip your feet in?" 

"Not sure... I was planning to go up and lie in front of the fan, if I'm being honest. But if I start to feel a little better, I'll head over." 

"Alright." Pearl smiled sympathetically. "Feel free to use my rice sock! And help yourself to my chocolate stash as well." 

"Already have." Garnet chuckled. She turned and made her way up the stairs. 

Once she was gone, Pearl reached for a feather duster and quickly wiped down all of the little nick-nacks that lined their shelves. Then, she unlocked the cash register and pulled out the drawer. 

"Twenty five dollars and thirty cents..." Pearl sighed once she'd finished counting. "Another week of ramen noodles, I suppose. Perhaps some rice and beans if we're feeling fancy." Shaking off her frustration, she locked the money up in the safe and made her way up the stairs. _'It'll be alright. Everyone has shitty days... Especially when they're first starting out. And besides, tourist season has just begun! Perhaps we'll need to advertise more...'_

Pearl slipped out of her sweaty work clothes and into her modest one-piece bathing suit. She grabbed a towel from the bathroom cabinet and headed back down the stairs, slipping out the back door. "See you later, Garnet!" she called, letting the door fall shut. 

She hurried across the street towards the Universe household; an eccentric family of three, and regular shoppers at the antique store, they'd once told Pearl she was free to swim in her pool whenever she pleased... And she _certainly_ wasn't turning down an opportunity like that. 

Once she reached the house, she rapped on the front door. As she heard footsteps, she smoothed out her hair -- after all, there _was_ a one-in-three chance she'd be greeted by the _beautiful_ head-of-household known as Rose, and while she _certainly_ had no intentions of being a homewrecker, she wanted to look presentable around her nonetheless. 

"Good evening, Pearl!" Rose greeted, and Pearl's heart fluttered in her chest. 

"Good evening to you as well!" Pearl grinned. "I had a long day at work, and thought I'd stop over for a swim -- if that's still alright with you, of course!" 

"It's more than alright." Rose winked. "Come on in! Unfortunately, Steven's already headed off to bed, and Greg's watching a movie upstairs... As for me, Aunt Flo is currently visiting, so I can't join either -- otherwise I'd gladly swim with you." 

"Oh, that's not a problem at all." Pearl said, admittedly a little disappointed; mother nature was _particularly_ cruel today, it seemed. "I just wanted to cool myself off, anyway! It won't be a very long swim." 

Rose smiled warmly. "Alright. Next time, though! Steven's been wanting to have a pool party... perhaps this weekend?" She shrugged. "Anyway, feel free to help yourself if you need anything to drink, or if you get hungry... I'll be in the living room. Gotta catch up on some reading, now that I've got some peace and quiet." 

"Thank you! I think I'll be fine, though." Pearl nodded gratefully. As Rose headed back towards the living room, Pearl continued to make her way through the house and towards the back door.

* * *

Before she knew it, the sun had set; the once beautiful sunset had turned pitch black, and stars appeared one-by-one. Amethyst had half-dozed on the bench for God knows how long; and in all honesty, her body was still sore -- if anything, even _more_ so than before. As much as she didn’t want to get up, she knew she had to find shelter soon... 

_'Guess I'll look for a hotel to stay at. Hopefully they'll have mercy on my broke ass.'_ Amethyst thought. As she pulled herself up to her feet, every muscle in her legs ached in protest. _'Fuck's sake...'_ she thought with a grumble. 

Amethyst began to head down the road, searching for anything that resembled a hotel... She gazed with envy at the houses and apartments that surrounded her, with lit-up bedrooms and people chatting loud enough to be heard through the window screens. Amethyst came to a sudden halt as she heard a familiar voice -- the voice of the boy who'd given her the lemonade earlier, to be exact. 

"Ooh, mommy, look at the moon!" he shouted, pointing out the window. "It's a full moon! Do you think there's gonna be any werewolves?" 

His question was followed by the sound of an older man chuckling. Amethyst's heart sank; for a reason she couldn't quite parse, she wanted Steven to notice her standing right in front of his house... Maybe if he did, he'd have some more pity on her and let her spend the night inside. 

But the boy didn't notice; he turned back around and away from the window, saying something else that Amethyst couldn't quite make out, now. 

Clenching her fists, Amethyst eyed the front door. _'Maybe I should just... Straight up ask. Worst case scenario, they tell me to fuck off. I think I can handle that.'_ Taking a deep breath, she took a step towards the house -- only to fall right on her face. 

"Fuck!" she hissed through gritted teeth, gripping her knees. As she tried to right herself, however, her legs refused to obey. _'What the...?'_ She ran her fingers across her calves, noticing her leg hairs slowly disappearing; purple, opalescent scales began to take their place. 

"What was that?" a voice called from inside the house. She no longer wanted to be seen -- not while _this_ was happening. Amethyst dragged herself behind the bushes just before the front door opened. Silence filled the air for a moment, before a deep voice announced, "I don't see anything." and the door shut once more. 

Amethyst would have let out a sigh of relief if her legs currently didn't feel like they were on fire -- if they could even be _considered_ legs anymore. At this point, they had begun to fuse together, forming a shimmering fish tail. And to top it all off, her unquenchable thirst had returned. 

_'The beach... I need to go back to the beach.'_ Amethyst thought. Her arms trembling, she began to struggle through the grass, though she couldn't quite remember which direction the beach even _was..._ But before she could feel completely hopeless, something on the other side of the picket fence caught her eye -- a massive pool of water. She could faintly smell chlorine, but that didn't matter -- water was water, and if she didn't get to it soon... She feared what would happen. 

She spotted a small hole beneath the fence; probably dug up by a groundhog or other woodland creature. Amethyst dug her claws into the hole that'd already been started -- taking a short moment to gawk at the fact that her fingers were _webbed,_ now -- raking out clumps and clumps of dirt until the gap was _just_ big enough for her chubby body to squeeze through. 

The pool was finally within reach. Amethyst dragged her body across the remaining grass and leapt in with a splash, and almost instantaneously did her pain begin to wash away. She drew in a long, deep breath, allowing the water to enter the gills that opened up on her neck. No longer did her throat crave water, or did her muscles ache; like magic, she was healed. 

Amethyst was confused -- far more than she ever thought possible -- and yet... she was calm. Her eyes fell shut, and she slowly drifted down to the very bottom of the pool, sprawling herself out on the floor.

* * *

Pearl made her way through the back yard, her flip-flops squeaking beneath her feet with every step. Placing her neon beach towel on the lawn chair and setting her shoes aside, she approached the pool and dipped a toe in to test the temperature. 

"Eep!" Pearl immediately jerked her foot away. _'Goodness, that's cold...'_ Bracing herself, Pearl climbed down from the ladder and submerged her entire body in the water. 

"Ah... there we go." She let out a sigh of relief once she adjusted, gazing up at the night sky. The full moon illuminated the surface of the pool. Crickets sang from the nearby bushes and trees, and fireflies glowed on the other side of the yard. The row of moonflowers framing Rose's garden had bloomed for the night. _’I wish I could stay here forever…’_ she thought, smiling warmly. 

Pearl’s peaceful mood was soon interrupted, however, by the mosquitoes buzzing near her exposed skin. "Shoo!" she hissed, splashing water at the swarming pests. When that proved ineffective, she sank down into the pool until the water met her nose. 

But as her feet met the floor, her toes brushed something... Soft. Slippery, too. Pearl turned her gaze downward, expecting it to be one of Steven's many pool toys -- only to see a fin covered in shimmering, opalescent scales... And attached to that fin was the torso of a beautiful, lavender haired woman.


	2. Chapter 2

Amethyst woke to the sound of running water. Much like the night before, she was disoriented and vaguely frightened, but her body didn't ache the way it previously had -- if anything, it felt replenished, albeit somewhat dizzy. Slowly opening her eyes, she shielded her face from the artificial light source on the ceiling and pulled herself upright. 

She shifted around on the surface beneath her. She was sitting in a large, porcelain tub full of warm water. The bottom of the tub was lined with a sandy, shell-shaped pattern, and bars of soap and rubber ducks lined the shelves around her. Amethyst turned her gaze downward, holding on hope that the events of the previous night had merely been a dream -- but her shimmering fin was still. 

Slouching down in the water, Amethyst looked around the room; the walls were lined with seashells, picture frames bearing photos and paintings of the beach, and tacky wooden knick knacks of anchors and fish. A quick glimpse out the window assured her that it was still nighttime, so she hadn't been lying here for _too_ long... 

"Brr?" 

Amethyst flinched away from the source of the sound, meeting the golden eyes of a massive orange cat. It gazed at Amethyst with wide black pupils, and its bushy tail lashed back and forth. "Geez, you scared the hell outta me..." Amethyst mumbled, cautiously extending a hand and petting it on the head. The cat nipped Amethyst on the thumb, making her yelp and jerk her hand away. "Hey! Little asshole..." she grumbled. 

As if on cue, the door creaked open and the cat immediately retreated. A tall, heavyset woman peered into the room, her expression slightly concerned. "Ah, hello there!" she greeted, cautiously stepping in and closing the door behind herself. Her hair was bright pink and curly, and was tied up into a messy bun on top of her head; she wore a silky white tank top that was slightly too short for her torso -- possibly to show off the glistening pink piercing she had on her navel -- and a pair of denim shorts that reached her knees. When Amethyst heard the _click_ of the door locking, however, she froze up. 

"How are you feeling?" the woman asked. She approached the bathtub and turned one of the knobs, turning off the faucet. 

_'That’s a loaded question...'_ Amethyst thought. How could she even _begin_ to answer that? 

"Ah... Do you speak English?" the woman asked after an uncomfortable pause. "I know a little bit of French, and my husband is Italian -- " 

"No, no, it's fine. I speak English." Amethyst waved a hand, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm just... _really_ out of it right now. I guess I'm fine?" 

"Fine is better than _bad_!" the woman said. She approached the bathtub, the fluffy cat following close behind. It rubbed its head against her calves, its eyes not leaving Amethyst for whatever reason; the fur on its back began to stand up, and it made a slight rumbling noise in its throat. "So... my name is Rose. What is yours?" Rose reached down to stroke the cat's ears, probably in an attempt to soothe him. 

"Amethyst." she said, inching towards the other end of the bathtub as the cat stared her down. "So, uh, this is probably a really dumb question... But how'd I get here? My brain's really foggy, can't remember shit..." 

"Well..." Rose sat down on the sink, crossing her legs as the cat leapt onto her lap. "That's a good question. My dear friend Pearl found you floating in my swimming pool, and well... I had a feeling chlorinated water probably wasn't ideal for any sort of marine life, so we brought you in here." She ran her fingers along the cat's back, and it began to relax a bit. 

"Oh... geez, that must've been awkward." Amethyst blushed, running her fingers through her tangled hair. "Thanks for helping me. I swear, I'm just as confused as you are. Normally I have legs, but uh..." She trailed off. How could one even _begin_ to explain whatever the fuck had happened earlier? 

"Don't worry about it." Rose reassured, a calm smile on her face. While Amethyst's brain was a total fog, she _knew_ that any normal human would be freaking the fuck out at fact that a mermaid almost _died_ in her pool... So why was this woman so calm about everything? "Is there anything I can do for you?" Rose continued, snapping Amethyst out of her spiraling thoughts. 

"Eh... not sure. Guess I just... need a minute to process whatever the hell is happening right now." Amethyst said, slouching down in the water until it reached her chin. "Or an hour. Maybe a few days." 

Rose chuckled. "Understandable. Well, I'll be in the living room. Give me a holler if you need anything." She slid down from the sink and made her way over to the door, gesturing for the cat to follow. "Come on, buddy. Let's give our guest some privacy, alright?" The cat responded with a softer, more pleasant sounding rumble in its throat, and followed Rose out into the hallway. 

Once she was alone again, Amethyst slouched down all the way into the water until she was completely submerged.

* * *

Her hands trembling, Pearl locked the door behind herself. "Goodness _gracious._ I must be going insane..." she mumbled to nobody in particular. 

"Is someone chasing you?" Garnet teased, causing Pearl to jump. 

"What? No!" Pearl said, setting her keys down on the coffee table. "Just... Paranoid. You know how jumpy I get at night, and with all the old antiques we sell, the shop's probably haunted..." 

Garnet huffed with amusement, reaching for the remote and turning down the volume on the T.V. "That's true." she said with an amused grin. "Did you enjoy your swim?" 

For a moment, Pearl had nearly forgotten she'd even gone for a swim... _'Should I tell Garnet what happened?'_ she thought, wringing her hands as she made her way over to the couch and seated herself beside Garnet. "Ah, well..." 

"Something's bothering you..." Garnet said, her voice a bit softer, now. 

"If I told you what it was... You'd think I was joking." Pearl sighed, leaning back against the couch. 

"I doubt that. But the way you're acting is rather concerning..." Garnet said, cupping Pearl's cheek. "Are you sure you weren't being followed? Perhaps I shouldn't have joked about that..." 

Pearl's heart ached with guilt -- with the way she'd been acting, of _course_ Garnet would assume the worst! "Oh, oh heavens no! I promise, nothing like _that_ happened. I had a safe walk home, I _promise_." she said, turning to face Garnet and gripping her hands. "I swear on my life. What happened tonight was more in the... supernatural realm, I suppose?" 

Garnet let out a sigh of relief. "Alright. Ghosts are a little less frightening than a stalker." she said. "You know I'm not a skeptic, right? I've had my own share of supernatural experiences." 

"That's true, that's true..." Pearl smiled a little. "I... I'll tell you. But if you don't believe me... Can you promise not to make fun of me?" 

"Promise." Garnet said, wrapping a pinkie around Pearl's. 

"Thank you..." Pearl drew in a deep breath before continuing. "Okay, so… How do I even say this? Uh, you know those silly little stories tourists are always asking about? About the evil sirens that roam the beaches at night, and alien sightings, and..." She trailed off. 

"Pearl...?" 

_’Just get to the point!’_ "There was a mermaid in Rose's pool." Pearl finally blurted out. "I swear on everything in this apartment, Garnet, it was a _mermaid!_ She had long, purple hair, and a sparkly fin, and webbed fingers and _claws_! And you can ask Rose in the morning if you don't believe me. Oh, please don't think I'm crazy--!" 

"Alright, shhh..." Garnet hushed her, cupping a hand over her mouth. "I believe you. Just chill." 

"Are you sure? You don't have to say that just because you feel bad for me, I know it's -- " 

"I know it's crazy, but I still believe you." Garnet said, though the expression on her face seemed... uncertain. Pearl's heart sank down in her chest. "I _promise_ , it's okay. Look, first thing in the morning we'll go over to Rose's house. The mermaid is still there, right?" 

"Yes, I think so." Pearl said. "She's keeping her in the bathtub... She seemed to be in poor condition, but Rose seemed confident she would be okay..." 

Garnet smiled. “Then you don’t need to worry." she said. "Just _breathe._ You're so shaken by this, Pearl..." She grabbed Pearl by the hands and helped her to her feet. "You should head off to bed. We'll think about this whole situation in the morning; but for now, just... focus on calming down, thinking of the positives. The store is closed tomorrow, so there's no work... You can relax." 

"That's true..." Pearl said, crossing her arms. "It's going to be okay. A-all of this is for me to worry about _tomorrow,_ not tonight." 

Garnet nodded. "Exactly." 

Pearl took another deep breath, giving Garnet a gentle hug. "Thank you for listening… Even when I’m acting like a lunatic.” 

"You aren’t.” Garnet reassured. 

Pearl exhaled. "Alright... Thank you, then.” 

“You already said that.” Garnet teased, ruffling Pearl’s hair and giving her a nudge towards her bedroom. “Now get some rest, okay?” 

Pearl blushed as she made her way into her room. “Okay, okay. Good night… See you in the morning.” 

“Good night.”

* * *

Sunlight shone in through the bathroom window; unlike the harsh rays that'd waken her the day before, these were warm and welcoming. Rubbing her eyes, Amethyst sat herself upright and glanced around the room... still in the ocean themed bathroom, as she'd expected... But part of her had hoped she'd wake up to something that made more sense, or that everything that had happened had been a dream... Sighing, stood upright and stretched her sore body. 

_'Wait.'_

She glanced down at her own two legs. No mermaid tail. She looked at her hands, and saw that her fingers were no longer webbed, her nails no longer pointed and hooked. Not a single scale in sight, just skin and lots of dark hair. 

As she looked up, Amethyst noticed a pair of clothing folded up on the floor; a white tank top, a long brown skirt, and some frilly underwear. They looked slightly too big to fit her properly, but the way they were laid out made her feel as if she were intended to put them on... So after a few moments of hesitation, she dried herself off with a fluffy towel and hesitantly slipped the clothes on. 

_'Maybe it was a dream, after all...'_ Amethyst thought, looking herself over in the mirror. Her hair was a tangled mess, standing up in a million different directions, so she put some water from the bathtub on her hands and smoothed it out until it looked semi-decent. _'Alright... Now to see what the fuck's going on.'_

She tugged the bathroom door to open it, only to remember it was locked, and twisted the little knob until she heard a _click_ , stepping out into the hallway. 

"Good morning!" a voice called; Amethyst tensed at first, only feeling slightly relieved upon seeing the pink haired woman from the night before. "Are you feeling any better?" 

Amethyst wasn't sure how to respond; sure, she _was_ feeling a little better, but... Should she be scared of this woman? "I'm... I'm okay, I guess." 

"Would you like to join me for some breakfast?" Rose asked, gesturing for Amethyst to follow her. "It'll just be us, if that's okay with you. Greg and Steven are out doing grocery shopping... Normally I go with them, but I thought I'd stay behind just so you wouldn't wake up to an empty house." 

Geez, that was a lot of information at once. "Uh... I guess I could go for some breakfast." she said, though she couldn't help fearing this would be some sort of Alice In Wonderland situation... Yet her growling stomach urged her to take the risk, so she followed Rose. 

"It's nothing too special, though; the boys are out shopping, after all, so our choices are limited..." Rose rambled on as she shuffled through the kitchen cabinets. "Would you like some cereal? We might have some poptarts left as well..." 

Anxiety tensed in Amethyst's stomach as she struggled to remember what either of those things were. "Either's fine!" she said, hoping neither of them were gross. 

"Poptarts it is, then, because that's what I'm having." Rose said, popping two rectangle-shaped pastries into the toaster. "Ah, blueberry is Steven's favorite flavor. Hopefully they remember to buy more while they're out, because these are the last two!" She chuckled, and for a reason Amethyst couldn't quite parse... It filled her with a sense of frustration. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she sat down at the table. 

"I really just want something to make sense." Amethyst croaked out, cupping her hands over her face. "I don't know what any of this is. Why are you so calm? Why don't you give a shit that some drunk girl passed out in your pool last night? What am I even _doing_ here? And how do I know you're not going to hurt me or..." she trailed off as her voice cracked. 

Rose's expression softened. "Ah... I'm sorry, Amethyst. I just wanted to help you feel comfortable... I wish there was some way I could prove I'm not going to hurt you... But that's the last thing I'd ever want to do." She seated herself in the chair beside Amethyst, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay. You're allowed to be confused... Because this truly _is_ a strange situation." Rose tugged a paper towel off of the nearby roll and handed it over to Amethyst. The latter looked at it for a moment, confused as to what she was supposed to do with this... So she used it to dab away some of the snot running from her nose, hoping that was the right thing. 

"I suppose... Supernatural things aren't uncommon in this town." Rose continued, tapping her fingers on the marble tabletop. "There's a reason it draws so many tourists, and it's not _just_ the beautiful view of the ocean, or the amusement park..." She wrung her hands anxiously. "Mermaid sightings aren't uncommon. And a lot of tourists come here to see them, and often... Don't have the best intentions." She turned her gaze towards Amethyst, expression softening. "So... I'm not at all frightened or confused by finding a mermaid in my pool. You weren't drunk, you really _did_ turn into a mermaid last night. Transforming probably did a number on your body, and I'm sure the chlorine in the pool didn't help much, either." 

_Pop._ Amethyst nearly leapt out of her skin as the poptarts jumped up in the toaster. Rose chuckled softly, rising to her feet and grabbing two plastic plates from the cabinet. "Perhaps I should just get to the point." she continued, making her way back over to the kitchen table and setting the plates down. Then, she reached for a picture hanging on the fridge and placed it down beside Amethyst's plate. 

Amethyst picked up the photo and examined it; it was a picture of Rose, with a beautiful pink mermaid tail. She was sitting on a couch beside a chubby, bearded man with long hair and an acoustic guitar in his lap. In the white space beneath the photo, the numbers "7/15/87" were written in blue ink. 

"This is from when I was pregnant with Steven." Rose said, smiling fondly at the picture. "And that handsome man right there is Greg." She rested her chin in her hands. "I fell in love with him back when I still had my fin... I wanted to live on land to be with him, and in doing that, I had to forget everything I knew about being a mermaid... Thankfully, Greg helped me regain my memories... At least the ones I wanted to hold onto." She took a bite of her poptart, tilting her head as she gazed at Amethyst. 

"Then, I lived as a shifter for two years. Only turned into a mermaid when there was a full moon." she continued. "But once I gave birth to Steven, I stopped shifting... Only when _he_ grew a mermaid tail did I realize I'd passed that ability down to him." 

"Ah... Damn." Amethyst began, poking at the poptart with her finger. Still too hot. "So... for whatever reason, I chose to have this happen to me. I used to be a fulltime mermaid, but at some point I was like, 'fuck it, I wanna be human'. And the price I paid for that was forgetting everything. And unless I get pregnant and pass it on to some other poor fuck, I'm gonna have to deal with turning into a mermaid _again_ whenever there's a full moon." 

Rose nodded. "That's what happened to me... So we can only assume it'll be the same for you." 

Amethyst broke off a corner of her poptart and stuck it in her mouth. It was… oddly sweet, and very artificial. She wasn’t sure how to feel about it. “Damn… I can’t believe I’d wish for this. Life must’ve really sucked in the ocean, huh?” 

Rose chuckled. “If only I could remember what it was like. But the fact that I was willing to sacrifice it all for him…” She gazed lovingly at the man in the photo. “Well, he’s the entire universe to me. After my memory was wiped, I immediately fell in love with him again. He didn’t even have to try. So perhaps that doesn’t say much.” 

Amethyst smiled slightly. "Aw... that's cute. You guys seem like such a happy bunch. Who knows, maybe I... fell in love with someone too. If that's the case, they better show up soon." 

Rose chuckled. "That could be the case. But keep an open mind. I'm sure there's plenty of reasons why someone would give up their mermaid life; not everyone's a sappy romantic like me." she began. "And, you know... Regardless of _why_ you left the sea, what matters now is that you're free to do whatever you please. I'm not sure what your plan is from here..." 

"You know just as much as I do." Amethyst shrugged. 

Rose nodded. "I suppose that's true. I don't want to pressure you either way, but... If you ever are in need of a place to lay your head, you are always welcome in our house. You can stay here as long as you need to, alright?" 

Amethyst tensed; on one hand, that made things a _lot_ easier on her... But on the other hand, it was all so sudden. And she'd feel so guilty living in their space and not being able to contribute anything in return... And on yet _another_ hand (geez, she had a lot of hands), she didn't really have much of a _choice._ So in a way, she felt a childish, irrational hint of frustration towards Rose... Even if none of this was her fault, and she was only trying to be nice. 

"I guess I need a bit to think about it." Amethyst shrugged. "But uh, thank you for offering. Seriously, you don't have to do all this for me... Not your fault I wound up in your pool." 

"Perhaps not, but it's very fortunate. And I don't mind at all, really." Rose's expression darkened. "Because if it had been anyone else... You might not have had any say in the matter." 

Amethyst shuddered; no need for elaboration there. She felt nauseous at the mere thought of what could've happened if she'd ended up in anyone else's hands. So she turned her gaze downward, taking another bite of her now-cold poptart.

* * *

Long after the sun had come up, Pearl stirred herself awake; rarely was she the type to sleep in, _especially_ past noon, but her dozing throughout the night had been unbearably sporadic. In the short bouts of sleep she _did_ manage to obtain, her dreams were filled with anxiety, stressful work situations, and the occasional mermaid... 

Though every muscle in her scrawny body protested, Pearl hauled herself out of bed. She slipped into some weather appropriate clothing -- high waisted shorts and a breezy white button up that she tucked in-- and made her way out into the hallway. She immediately met eyes with a slightly eager Garnet. 

"Good morning." she greeted with a wave of her hand. "Afternoon, more like. Were you able to sleep alright?" 

"Not quite." Pearl shrugged. "But it's fine. I'm up now." 

"Ah, that's a shame." Garnet's expression softened. "So, ah... While you were sleeping... I did a little bit of reading." Garnet continued, making her way towards the living room. 

"Did you read up on heat-induced hallucinations?" Pearl chuckled. 

Garnet smiled softly, but shook her head. "I had considered that, but no. Just on some of the old siren sightings you mentioned last night..." She gestured to a pile of newspapers sitting on her desk. "And do _not_ get the wrong idea. I believed you the moment you told me, though it might not have seemed that way..." 

Pearl shook her head. "You know I won't be offended if you don't believe me, right?" 

"I know that. But... I've seen you lie before. You're terrible at it." Garnet continued, placing a hand on Pearl's shoulder. 

Pearl crossed her arms, feeling a mixture of relief and shame bubbling up in her chest. "Hah, I guess so…” 

"So... you told me that she's still at Rose's house? Garnet said, tilting her head with curiosity. 

Pearl nodded. "Y-yes, as far as I know... Rose said she'd be taking care of her, at least, but I'm not sure what that would even entail... She seemed pretty confident about it, though." 

Garnet smiled. "Alright... Would you like to head over?" 

Pearl blushed. "Oh, um -- yes! Let me just, uh. Get ready." 

Without another word, she hurried off to the bathroom to brush her teeth and put on her _shiniest_ lipgloss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!! hope you enjoyed, and any comments are appreciated! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter took so long! i've been dealing with a lot of stuff lately, but hopefully updates will be a little more consistent from now on <3 hope you enjoy!!!

"...And _here's_ the guest bedroom!" Rose declared, pushing a door open and gesturing into a small, dimly lit room. "It needs a bit of dusting... It hasn't been used in quite a while, as you can probably tell." she added in a slightly more sheepish tone. 

"Hey, don't sweat it. It's perfect." Amethyst said, giving Rose a pat on the back. She then flicked on the light switch so she could get a better view; the floor of the room was carpeted in a blue, oddly textured material that Amethyst wasn't quite sure she liked... The walls were painted an off-white pattern with a starry border, and the ceiling was scattered with little plastic stars. Picture frames lined the walls; some of them were family photos, and others were paintings of varying quality (probably done by members of the family, Amethyst noticed, as she observed a picture of a lion done in finger paint). 

She approached the bed with the intention of just sitting down, but instead her whole body flopped down onto the thick polka-dotted comforter. After a whole night of sleeping in a hard bathtub, feeling something soft beneath her was pure _heaven._ "Mmm..." she couldn't help but groan happily. "Yeah, this is peeeerfect, Rose." 

The sound of the front door opening echoed through the house. "Mommy, we're home!" a boy's voice called from down the stairs. 

Rose smiled, turning back towards the hallway. "Looks like the boys are here... Would you like to come greet them?" 

"Uh, sure!" Amethyst said; in all honesty, she really wanted to stay here on top of this cloud-soft mattress, but she figured she shouldn't be rude, either. Sliding down from the bed, she followed Rose down the stairs and into the living room, hiding behind her slightly as they approached the entryway. 

"Hey there." she greeted awkwardly. 

"Nice to meet ya!" Greg smiled. 

The smaller of the two ran over to Amethyst and pulled her into a massive bear hug. "Hi!!" he shouted into her ear, nearly squeezing the life out of her. "My name's Steven! It's so _cool_ that I met another mermaid like me! You shoulda told me that back when I gave you the free lemonade!" he rambled. 

"Steven, you might wanna give her some space." Greg warned, nudging Steven so that he'd loosen his grip. 

"Ah, uh, it's fine." Amethyst awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck once he let go. 

"As you probably already know, this is Steven," Rose began, gesturing to her son. "And this is my husband, Greg!" she continued, gesturing to the taller man. He looked rather similar to Steven, but taller, a tad heavier, and with longer hair and and a scruffy, greying beard. 

"I gave her some lemonade yesterday!" Steven repeated, bouncing from foot to foot. "And she was really nice to me. Who'd've thunk she'd end up spending the night at our house, huh?" 

"What a small world, huh?" Rose chuckled softly. "While I help your father put groceries away, would you like to finish giving her a tour of the house? I already showed her the guest room." 

"Yes!" Steven said, extending a hand towards Amethyst. The latter cautiously accepted it -- geez, this kid sure was affectionate -- and allowed him to lead her out of the living room and into the hallway. 

"Alright, so... This is the bathroom, but you probably already know that." Steven said, pointing to the bathroom door. "That's my mom and dad's room! Make sure you always knock before you go in there. And this my bedroom! You don't have to knock for me -- well, unless I'm getting dressed. Then you should knock." 

"How would I know you're getting dressed if --" she began, but Steven suddenly tugged her hand once again and led her into his room. "Come look inside! I just cleaned it yesterday, so mom won't mind!" 

The room was filled with posters, brightly colored dolls, plastic dinosaurs, and stuffed animals. One thing that caught her eye, however, was the box in the corner of the room. It had two antennae sticking from the top, and behind its glass screen was a moving, talking picture. _'What the hell...?'_ Amethyst thought, extending a hand and touching the glass. The static tingled her fingers, and the surface was a little hot. 

"This is my favorite show! It's called Crying Breakfast Friends." Steven said, plopping down onto a bean bag chair. But he immediately got back up and leapt to his feet. "Oh, do you wanna see my Neopets?" 

Amethyst raised an eyebrow. She was gonna ask what the hell a "show" referred to in this context, and how that related to the moving pictures inside the box, but now she was even more curious as to whatever the hell a Neopet was. "Uh, sure thing, kiddo." Amethyst awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. 

"Let's go!" Steven exclaimed, and just like that, she was grabbed by the hand once more and dragged back down the stairs.

* * *

Pearl checked her reflection in her compact mirror; her hair was neat and tidy, her lipgloss was _shimmery_ as always, and there was no spinach from breakfast stuck in her teeth. Everything was up to standard for visiting the _beautiful_ woman that was Rose -- and the mermaid, too. As she heard footsteps in the house, she puffed out her chest and took a deep breath. _'Alright, just keep your cool.'_ she thought, her heart fluttering as she anticipated Rose's arrival at the door. 

"Good afternoon!" Rose said, smiling warmly at Pearl and Garnet. 

"Good _afternoon_ , Rose!" Pearl cooed, a blush spreading across her cheeks. 

"Hey." Garnet shyly greeted, waving a hand. 

"Ah, so... Garnet and I were wondering, uh... how our... friend was doing?" Pearl asked, anxiously wringing her hands. 

Rose smiled, but there was a bit of nervousness beneath her expression. "Oh, um! She's doing alright." she said. "Come on in!" She headed back inside, gesturing for the two to follow. 

"Would either of you like a popsicle?" Greg called from the kitchen. "It's a real scorcher outside today!" 

"Oh, certainly!" Pearl said, and Garnet simply nodded as they both reached for one. 

"Steven?" Rose said as she approached the computer room, narrowing her eyes. "What are you doing? I thought you were giving her a tour of the house." 

"We're all finished! She wanted to see my Neopets after that, so I'm showing her!" Steven said. With one hand on the computer mouse, and one hand holding a bright red popsicle, he turned to his mother and the guests with a cherry juice-stained smile. "Oh, hey, antique store ladies!" he said. 

As Pearl turned her gaze from the familiar little boy, she spotted a familiar head of lilac hair. She held a grape popsicle in her hand, her lips tinged a slight shade of purple. She was leaning back in her chair in a way that made Pearl anxious, and as her gaze shifted downward towards the breezy white skirt she was wearing, her heart sank down into her stomach. 

Two legs. Not a fin in sight. 

"Oh, hey." the woman said, waving a hand. She made a moment of short eye contact with Pearl, an unreadable expression in her eyes, and then looked over to Garnet. "Came over to see how I'm holding up, huh? That's nice of ya." 

"She gave us quite a scare last night!" Rose laughed nervously. "She passed out drunk in one of the worst possible places. Thankfully Pearl was there to find her. If she hadn't, it could've been pretty bad." 

Garnet smiled warmly; behind her sunglasses, though, Pearl knew she was incredibly confused, and possibly a tad concerned. "That's good to know. I'm glad she's alright." she responded. 

"Ah... I'm glad, too!" Pearl said, her voice wavering. "E-excuse me for a moment. I need to visit the lavatory." And without another word she scurried off. 

An awkward silence filled the room, save for the clicking of the computer mouse as Steven fed his virtual animals. 

"So, uh... You from around here?" Amethyst asked. 

"Yes. Pearl and I live at the antique store across the street." Garnet responded. 

"Whoa, you live at a _store?_ " Amethyst's jaw dropped. "Where do you sleep? I hope you sell beds there." 

Rose burst into laughter. "Isn't she hilarious?" she teased, ruffling Amethyst's hair; but the purple-haired woman's expression remained serious. 

A smile broke Garnet's lips. "There's an apartment _above_ the store." she reassured, chuckling a little. "With beds. No beds in the store itself, though, unfortunately." 

"Ohh..." Amethyst said. "Well, I'd love to take a stroll over there one day! I love antiques, maybe get my hands on a couple fancy teapots or some shit." 

Steven gasped dramatically. "Ooh, Amethyst! You're gonna get soap in your mouth!" 

Amethyst raised an eyebrow. "What now?" 

"She's an adult, she can say the S word if she wants." Rose said. "And where did you even get that idea? I have _never_ made you eat soap!" 

"Well yeah, because I never cuss." Steven stated proudly. 

Garnet glanced back in the direction Pearl had gone, her smile fading. "I'm going to make sure Pearl is alright. I'll be right back." She turned and left, heading down the hallway and up the stairs towards the bathroom. 

She knocked on the door. "Pearl? Are you alright?" she asked. 

Silence. Then, the door creaked open, and she faced a teary-eyed Pearl. 

"I _promise_ I'm not playing a prank on you..." she whispered, her gaze falling down to her feet. "You probably think I'm crazy, don't you?" 

"No. _Hell_ no. Come on, Pearl..." Garnet extended her arms for a hug, but Pearl pulled away and hurried back towards the bath tub. "That aside, crazy is such a cruel word -- " 

"I'm telling you, Garnet, it was real!" she blurted out, clenching her fists at her sides. "I _saw_ the mermaid tail, I _saw_ Rose bring her up here, and she placed her in the bath tub, and..." Pearl peered into the bath tub, squinting for anything, _any_ remains of evidence that a mermaid had been there; perhaps a stray scale had fallen off? 

Garnet placed a hand on Pearl's shoulder, but removed it once she noticed Pearl tensing up with discomfort. "You know... The heat yesterday broke records." she began softly, sitting down on the edge of the bath tub. "If I'd spent the whole day in a hot store like you did, well... I'd start seeing things myself." 

Pearl's heart sank. Any chance of Garnet believing her was gone... And at this point, Pearl was beginning to doubt herself. Brushing away tears, she seated herself on the floor. "Please... don't tell anyone about this." 

Garnet nodded in understanding. "I won't. I promise. You're alright, Pearl. I doubt this sort of thing will happen again... And if it _does_ , that'd still be okay. And it definitely wouldn't make you 'crazy', it'd just mean you need to see a therapist." 

Pearl leaned against Garnet's thigh. "Alright... I suppose that's true." she sighed, sitting upright. "Thank you. I - I think I needed to hear that." 

Garnet smiled. "Of course. Let's head home now, alright?" She rose to her feet and extended a hand towards Pearl, helping her up from the floor. 

Pearl forced a smile. "Good idea. I guess we've seen what we needed to see, heh..." 

The two headed out of the bathroom and down the stairs.

* * *

Once the two guests were gone, Rose allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. Guilt wracked her heart as she remembered how distressed and confused Pearl had been... But she attempted to shake it off, reminding herself that it was for the safety of everyone involved -- _including_ Pearl. 

"Damn, I feel kinda bad for those girls..." Amethyst said, leaning against the doorway of the computer room. "They came over expecting a mermaid, and all they got was some bitch with legs." she snorted with amusement, licking the remains of her popsicle from the stick. 

Rose wrung her hands anxiously. "Me too, but it's for your own safety... Not to mention mine and Steven's." she said, turning her gaze towards her son, who was still wrapped up in his computer game. "Hopefully they won't ask any more about it..." Her heart ached. She had a feeling, deep down in her gut, that this wouldn't be the end of it.

* * *

Pearl unlocked the door and flipped around the open sign. The past weekend had been incredibly awkward, with Garnet constantly trying to reassure Pearl that everything was okay, and Pearl far too embarrassed to even _acknowledge_ what had happened at Rose's house. But today was a new day. The weather was going to be in the seventies, and tourists were already out walking around with ice cream in their hands and sunburnt skin. They _were_ going to have better sales than they did on Saturday, and Pearl was determined to make it happen! 

As she made her way towards the register (casually avoiding eye contact with Garnet, who was straightening up a shelf), she heard the _ding_ of the bell above the front door. She immediately perked up and spun around, beginning their usual introduction, "Welcome to Semi-Precious Antiques! I hope you find-" but trailed off as soon as she saw that it was Rose -- and the lilac haired girl was right behind her. "...what you're looking for." 

"Good morning, Pearlie!" Rose greeted with a chuckle. The shorter girl, however, was immediately drawn to the antiques on the shelves. "Whoaaa... Holy shit, look at this!" she said, grabbing a glass conch shell and holding it up to her ear. "Hello, anyone there?" she said in a goofy voice, pretending it was a phone. 

Pearl's eye twitched. "Ah, that one is only two dollars, if you're interested!" she said with a forced smile. 

"Oh, that's not too bad! Do you think you want it, Amethyst?" Rose asked. 

"Eh, maybe. I've seen better conches in my day. This one feels kinda fake." Amethyst shrugged, casually placing it back on the shelf with a _clink_ that made Pearl's skin crawl. 

"It is fake." Garnet said. "We keep our _real_ shells and other sea things over here." She pointed over to a plastic box on a nearby table, filled to the brim with various sea shells and shimmering beach glass. There was a paper sign on the side that read "50c each, 3 for a dollar." 

"Fifty cents, huh? That's like, two lemonades." Amethyst said, peering inside the box. "Ohh, you gotta sand dollar!" she gasped as she pulled a flat, round shell out of the box, holding it up in the air. "You girls wanna see something cool?" 

"Always." Garnet grinned, leaning back against the counter. 

Amethyst cracked the sand dollar open with one hand like an egg and caught the little dove-shaped pieces inside in her other hand. "Lookit this! Ain't that the coolest thing ever? These little guys used to be alive -- kinda like a starfish or a sea urchin -- _and_..." She held up the little pieces inside. "These were its teeth!" 

Pearl gritted her own teeth; part of her was tempted to remark that they _needed_ to pay for that, now that it was damaged, but the smiles on Garnet and Rose's face kept her lips sealed. 

"That's interesting... Never heard that they were a living creature. And especially not that those were its teeth..." Garnet chuckled. "I remember a Sunday school teacher from my childhood calling them 'doves'." 

"Doves? They look more like moths to me. Or even seagulls." Amethyst shrugged. "By the way, Rose, you got fifty cents on you? I'm assuming these girls have a 'break it, buy it' policy." 

"I sure do!" Rose said, fishing a couple dimes out of the back pocket of her denim shorts. She approached Pearl at the counter, who gratefully took the change and entered it into the register. 

"Steven might stop over today, you know." Rose began. "Do you need him to bring you girls a drink?" 

"Oh, that'd be lovely! But only if he has the spare time, of course. I know how hard that little guy works at his lemonade stand..." she said with a chuckle, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. But her flirty mood immediately disappeared as she spotted Amethyst climbing up a shelf lined with china tea sets, and nearly choked on her own spit. 

"What on _God's green earth_ are you _doing_?!" she exclaimed; her outburst startled Amethyst, causing her to fall down from her place on the shelf, and a wave of dishes fell down with her, landing on the wooden floor with a _crash._

"Ouch..." Amethyst rubbed the back of her head, and Garnet hurried over to help her stand back up. "Are you hurt?" she asked. 

"Eh, I'll be fine." she shrugged, looking at the pile of broken glass around her. "You should be asking the tea cups that question, hah!" 

Pearl, on the other hand, was a little less sympathetic. "Are you planning to pay for those?" she huffed, crossing her arms as she approached them. 

"Uh..." Amethyst turned her gaze towards Rose, who had clasped a hand over her face in shame. "I would if I could, but..." 

Pearl immediately regretted her words; Amethyst didn't even have fifty cents to her name, meaning _Rose_ would be the one responsible for it. "Well... I'll let it slide this time. Wouldn't want to punish my dear friend for _your_ clumsy actions." she sighed, heading over to the closet for her broom and dustpan. 

"Hey, I woulda been just fine if you hadn't scared the shit out of me." Amethyst grumbled. 

"Well, you should know better than to climb up on shelves in an antique store! Seriously, were you raised in a barn?" 

"I should be asking you that. You've got the face _and_ legs of a starving horse." Amethyst snorted. 

" _Excuse_ me?" 

"Girls, please." Rose interrupted, stepping between Pearl and Amethyst before it could escalate. "Amethyst, you _really_ shouldn't have been climbing up there like that. And calling her names isn't necessary, either." she said, glaring down at the shorter woman, who crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Pearl grinned smugly, but Rose shut her right down when she turned her gaze towards her. "And Pearl, _you_ should be a bit more kind. It _was_ a genuine accident, even if she was being reckless." 

Pearl glared at Amethyst for a moment; then, she crouched down on the floor and began to sweep up the broken glass. "Forgive me for being harsh, Amethyst. I've had... a very long weekend. And with how business has been going these past few weeks, well... We can't afford to have customers breaking valuables." 

"I'll pay for the damages." Rose reassured. 

"That won't be necessary -- " Pearl began, but Rose had already fished three ten-dollar bills out of her purse. Pearl's heart fluttered, and she hesitantly accepted the money. "...Thank you, Rose." 

"No problem." Rose said, smiling warmly to assure Pearl that all was well. She then turned to Amethyst. "Alright, girlie, you wanna head over and get some funnel cakes?" 

"Hell yeah!" Amethyst grinned. As the two made their way out of the shop, Amethyst whispered, "What is that again?" 

Once they were gone, Pearl let out a deep sigh and went back to sweeping up the glass. Garnet watched from the other side of the room -- well, with her sunglasses it was hard to tell, but Pearl could just _feel_ when she was being watched. "...What?" 

"Are you alright?" Garnet said, making her way over and grabbing another broom so she could help. "You really seem on edge today..." 

"You'd be on edge, too." Pearl sighed. 

"I guess so." Garnet shrugged. "I'm definitely not blaming you. But if there's anything I can do to help, I -- " 

The bell rang once more as the door swung open, smacking against the wall. "PEARL! I forgot something!" Amethyst shouted, causing both Garnet and Pearl to jump. 

"... _What?_ " Pearl hissed through her teeth. 

"Sorry for calling you a horse." Amethyst said, and then closed the door again before Pearl could even respond. 

Pearl let out a long, deep sigh. It was only 11 am, and she knew she had a long day ahead of her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoy!!! i appreciate everyone who's commented and given kudos!!!! nwn

At first, Amethyst _thought_ she'd fall asleep easily; after all, she had a place to stay, a comfortable bed, and she'd eaten a pretty satisfying dinner. Yet she lay wide awake at 5 in the morning, wearing one of Greg's oversized tee shirts and Rose's boxer shorts, staring at the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. _'Humans are weird... They spend all this time building houses, but still wanna see the sky at night... The real thing's way prettier.'_

As she rolled onto her side, she eyed the broken sand dollar laying on the night stand. Guilt and embarrassment washed over her as she remembered her little incident at the antique store. _'I'm such an idiot.'_ she thought with a groan, burying her face into her pillow. Even if Rose _had_ paid for the damages, she still felt terrible for breaking all those dishes. _'Gotta stop dwelling on it... The damage is done, and it's probably too late to give her a better apology, anyway.'_

The door to the guest room creaked open; Amethyst bolted upright, but relaxed as soon as she realized it was only Lion. "Fuck, dude. You really know how to startle someone." she huffed. 

Lion leapt up onto the bed and pawed at the blankets, and only then did Amethyst realize what he wanted. "Aw, okay. Come on." she said, lifting up the comforter so he could slip under. The cat's throat rumbled -- she recalled Rose calling that a 'purr' -- and he rested his head against Amethyst's lap. 

"You just wanted to cuddle, huh?" she cooed, scratching him behind the ears. Lion lifted his head, however, peering over Amethyst's lap and directly at the mirror on the wall. Curious, Amethyst turned her head in the same direction and noticed two pairs of eyes glowing in the otherwise pitch-black room; the golden ones being Lion's, and the blue ones being her own. 

"Whoa..." she remarked to nobody in particular. Lion gazed up at Amethyst, slowly blinking his eyes at her. Amethyst laid back against the mass of pillows and took a deep breath. "Hm... Maybe _that's_ why I can't sleep." she said, running her fingers across the cat's back. "Maybe I'm a night owl like you. Aren't cats usually awake during the night? I'm not _as_ experienced in land creatures, so sorry if that's wrong." she continued, sitting upright and nudging Lion off of her lap. "In any case, I'm gonna take a night-time stroll. You wanna come along?" 

Lion merely slow-blinked at her again. "Alright, suit yourself." Amethyst stepped out of the guest bedroom, making sure to leave the door open a crack in case Lion wanted to leave, and quietly made her way down the stairs. 

Once the reached the kitchen, Amethyst unlocked the back door and stepped out onto the concrete patio. As she gazed ahead into the yard, faintly lit by the magenta sunrise, her heart nearly dropped out of her chest. 

Little green flecks of light floated around in the air. Her eyes wide, Amethyst stepped out into the grass, the dew wet beneath her feet. She reached a hand towards one of the lights and grasped it in her palm; only then did she realize the little flecks of light were insects. As she cupped another hand on top of it, the bug's body lit up again, causing her hands to glow. "Whoa..." she whispered. Amethyst opened her hands and allowed the bug to fly away. _'Just like the stars in my room...'_ she thought to herself, gazing up at the sky. _'Wonder if that's what they're made of...'_ The thought of crushing up these cute little bugs _just_ to make some fake ceiling stars made her skin crawl, though. 

As she made her way through the yard, she approached the swimming pool all the way in the back. The water reeked of chlorine -- something she'd easily overlooked when she was mid-transformation the other day, but now that she wasn't quite as desperate, she realized just how disgusting it was. _'Why would they ruin perfectly good water like that?'_

"Amethyst?" Greg called from the house, causing Amethyst to jump. She turned around -- damn it, was Greg a night owl, too? "Oh, uh, hey." she awkwardly waved a hand. 

"It's a little early to go for a swim, isn't it?" Greg teased. 

"Huh? Oh, nah." Amethyst scoffed, crossing her arms and making her way back towards the house. 

"I was only joking. You're free to swim if you want." Greg clarified. 

"Yeah, but that water stinks. Full of all kinds of nasty chemicals." Amethyst snorted. "What are _you_ doing up so late?" 

"I think you mean early." Greg chuckled. "I just woke up; this is a family of early birds, you know. And I was actually about to go for a morning walk... I like to do it _just_ when the sun is rising. Care to join?" 

"Pfft, sound like a bunch of nerds." Amethyst smirked. "But yeah, sure. Got nothing better to do." 

Greg unlocked the gate to the fence, shutting it behind them and leading the way down the dirt path towards the woods. "It's beautiful out right now… If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll see some deer out and about." he remarked. "Did you get any sleep?" 

"Nope, not really." Amethyst responded with a shrug. “Never seen a deer before, by the way...” 

“They’re pretty easy to scare away. You gotta be _real_ quiet if you plan on seeing one.” Greg said. 

“So uh…” Amethyst swatted away a mosquito. “You’re just like… a normal guy, right? No mermaid genes?” 

"I guess you can say that." Greg shrugged. "If you can even call a guy with a mermaid wife 'normal.'" 

"Pfft. You'd brag about that if you could, wouldn't ya?" Amethyst teased, nudging him playfully with her elbow. 

"Not sure who I'd brag to. But hey, even if she _wasn't_ a mermaid, she'd still be worth braggin' about." Greg said with a grin. 

Amethyst stuck out her tongue. "What a sap." she teased. "So, uh, she told me she doesn't remember much about her mermaid life. Kinda went out of her way to forget it, even. But... do _you_ remember anything?” 

Greg went silent; for a moment, Amethyst worried she'd struck a nerve, but Greg spoke up again before she could apologize. "I do. It... wasn't a very happy time for her, I guess." he said. "I’m not sure she’d want me telling you the specifics… And I can’t ask her, because that’d involve reminding her about it, which is a big no-no.” 

“Ah, I get it. Don’t worry about it.” Amethyst said, turning her gaze down towards the ground. “Just got kinda curious, I guess… Thought maybe it’d help me remember why _I_ chose to be a human.” 

Greg chuckled. "Yeah, I don’t blame you… Trust me, I’d tell you the whole story in an instant if I had any say in it. But I don’t, so I’m gonna stick to respecting my lady’s privacy. Just having Steven around is risky enough, honestly; he’s got good intentions, but all we can do is hope he’s not blabbing to everyone in town that he’s a mermaid…” 

Amethyst snorted. “Yeah, that kid sure knows how to talk…” 

The conversation trailed off, and the two of them continued on their way through the woods, listening to the sounds of chirping crickets and the waves from the nearby beach.

* * *

"Amethyst!" Steven called from downstairs -- and _just_ when Amethyst was starting to doze off, too. 

With a groan, she rolled over onto her back. "What is it, dude?" 

"Will you take a walk with me? I gotta pass out some invitations, and Mom and Dad aren't home, and they don't want me walking by myself!" 

Damn, did she _hate_ yelling back and forth across the house. But if she said no, it'd only go on longer, so she heaved herself to her feet and stretched her arms. "Alright, on my way down." she mumbled, rubbing the back of her head. "What're these invitations you're going on about, now?" 

"For the pool party this weekend!" Steven said, waving the stack of papers around in his hand. "Don't you remember? I'm gonna invite Connie, and Garnet, and Pearl, and Priyanka, and Doug, and Sadie, and Lars, and Peedee, and -- " 

"Alright, I get the picture." Amethyst waved a hand dismissively. 

"--and you!" Steven added with a grin, handing her one of the invitations. 

"Well duh, I sure hope so, since I'm living here and all." Amethyst smirked, taking the card from his hand and looking it over. _Come 2 Our Pool Party! Friday at 6:00!_ was written in black sharpie, and there was a drawing of a swimming pool in crayon underneath. As they made their way out the door, and Amethyst locked the door behind them, she looked at the people Steven had drawn around the pool; one of them had purple hair, which she assumed was herself. "Aww, you're a good artist. How old are you now, kiddo?" 

"I'm gonna be ten in August!" Steven said, skipping down the sidewalk and stopping every few moments so Amethyst could catch up; the latter was strolling at a leisurely pace, still not _nearly_ awake enough to be around such a bouncy kid. 

"Let's see... First stop, The Big Doughnut!" Steven declared. He gestured towards a building with a _giant_ doughnut on top; the smell of deep-fried food immediately hit Amethyst, making her stomach growl. 

"Righty-o." Amethyst said, following Steven in through the glass doors. 

"Hey Steven!" a girl greeted from behind the counter; she was pale, short, a little chubby, and had light blonde hair that was tied up into a little bun. "Who's your friend?" 

"Hey Sadie! This is Amethyst!" Steven said. Amethyst yawned, waving sleepily at the girl. "'Sup. I'm his responsible adult." she said. 

"Oh! Well, nice to meet you, Amethyst!" Sadie smiled. "So, how can I help you two? You want your usual, Steven?" 

"I'm actually not here for doughnuts! In fact, I'm giving _you_ something!" Steven slid one of the invitations across the counter. 

"Aww, thanks!" Sadie said, her expression brightening up as she looked it over. 

"The party starts at six, but you can come a little later after that, since you guys close at seven and all." Steven said. "It'll be going on all night! And we'll save you and Lars plenty of drinks and snacks, too!" 

"What about Lars, now?" a voice called from the back room; a tall, lanky boy with light brown skin and curly hair (who Amethyst presumed to be Lars) stepped out from the freezer room. 

"What were you doing in the freezer?" Sadie narrowed her eyes. 

"What do you think? It's hot as fuck today, I was cooling off." Lars said. 

"Watch your mouth!" Sadie hissed, gesturing to Steven. 

Lars merely rolled his eyes, approaching the counter and grabbing an invitation from the _very_ excited Steven, who was bouncing eagerly and grinning from ear to ear. 

"Hmm... Pool party, huh?" Lars said. "Will there be food?" 

Amethyst half-listened to the conversation, eyeing the array of pastries sitting beyond the glass case. _'Holy shit...'_ she thought. _'They're so pretty! Wonder how hard it is to decorate them like that...'_

"Yep! We'll have popsicles and pizza, and when it gets dark, we'll roast marshmallows and make s'mores!" Steven grinned. 

"That's enough to convince me." Lars grinned. "See ya friday, dork." 

"See ya friday!" Steven waved and turned to scurry off, but then noticed Amethyst eyeing the doughnuts. "...Are you hungry, Amethyst?" 

"Maybe..." Amethyst smiled sheepishly. "I haven't eaten yet today. And _you_ woke me up to drag me out here, sooo..." 

"Alrighty, one doughnut for the nice lady!" Steven said, fishing a handful of quarters from his pockets and dumping them on the counter. "Keep the change. Let's go, Amethyst!" 

Lars shoved the pile of quarters towards Sadie, clearly not wanting to deal with it, and retrieved a doughnut with a pair of tongs and dropped them into a paper bag. "Here ya go." 

"Thanks." Amethyst said with a wink, grabbing the bag and following Steven out the door. 

"Let's see..." Steven hummed in thought, tapping his chin. "Next stop, Pearl and Garnet! They're our friends at the antique store, remember?" 

Amethyst tossed the paper bag into a nearby trashcan and took a bite of her doughnut. "Oh _boy_ , how could I forget?" she mumbled. 

Steven raised an eyebrow. "What, do you not like them?" 

"I mean, I'm cool with Garnet. She was pretty nice, but a little quiet." Amethyst shrugged. "Pearl's just kind of a prick." 

"Like a porcupine?" Steven giggled. 

"Uh, sure." Amethyst said, though she wasn't even sure what that meant. 

"Well, try not to get poked, because we're here!" Steven said. He grabbed the door and held it open for Amethyst. "Ladies first!" 

As Amethyst and Steven made their way inside, they both spotted Garnet standing on a step-stool with a feather duster in her hand. She glanced down at the two guests, smiling slightly. "Good morning." she greeted softly, turning back to the dusty shelf she was wiping down. "Anything you're looking for?" 

"Just you!" Steven said, hurrying over and handing her an invitation. "You're invited to a pool party at my house! There'll be snacks, and games, and pool noodles! And a bonfire later on in the night, too! So think of some scary stories to tell!" 

"Sounds like a fun time." Garnet smiled warmly, looking at the invitation. "And that's a _very_ good drawing. Did you do that all on your own?" 

"Yep! No tracing, just me and my colored pencils!" Steven beamed with pride. "Where's Pearl at?" 

"She's upstairs getting some cleaning supplies. She'll be down soon, though." Garnet said, ruffling Steven's hair. 

As the two chatted, Amethyst wandered through the store -- this time, making _sure_ not to touch anything -- while she munched on her doughnut. But then she heard the sound of creaking stairs, followed by the unlocking of the gate that blocked off the stairway. "Why, hello!" Pearl greeted. "What a pleasure to see you!" 

"Howdy." Amethyst greeted, causing Pearl to flinch. Her cheery expression fell, and only then did Amethyst realize her greeting had been directed towards Steven, and Steven alone. "Ah... And good morning to you, too." Pearl said with a forced smile. 

"You're invited to a swimming party!" Steven blurted out as he scurried over to Pearl. "There'll be snacks, and games, and pool noodles, and -- well, Garnet can tell you the rest. My throat's getting tired." 

Pearl burst into laughter. "Well, as long as nothing comes up, I'm sure Garnet and I will both be there." she said. 

"Awesome!" Steven gave a thumbs up. "Lets-a-go, Amethyst! On to Peedee's place!" 

"Coming." Amethyst said. As she made her way out the door and shoved the last bite of her doughnut into her mouth, she felt the piercing gaze of Pearl on her back. _'What's her deal?'_


	5. Chapter 5

Waves crashed against the shore, and rain pattered against the ground, forming little brown puddles in the crevices of the sandy beach. Amidst the rainstorm, a large, muscular mermaid heaved herself up onto a plateau of rocks. Jasper coughed as she adjusted to the atmosphere, and then lifted her head upright, sea water dripping from her mass of thick, platinum blonde hair. 

She took in the scent of her surroundings. Humans had walked across this beach _very_ recently. Amber eyes gazed past the trees and spotted smoke rising in the distance. 

Before Jasper could observe any longer, she heard the rustling of trees. She didn't want to linger around to find out if it was a human or some other land creature, so she turned and leapt back into the water with a splash. 

_'I'll come earlier tomorrow.'_ she thought to herself, clutching a glass vial in her left hand. _'Better to wait another day than get caught...'_

* * *

The weekend had finally come; as Rose and Greg set out coolers and filled them with juice boxes and ice pops, Steven covered himself head-to-toe with sunscreen. "Amethyst!" he called towards the house, grabbing his frog-shaped pool floaty and slipping it around his torso. "You wanna come put on some sunscreen?" 

Amethyst slid the glass door open and stepped out onto the patio, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What now?" 

"Whoa, you look so _pretty_!" Steven gasped and cupped his cheeks, admiring the beautiful grey and white polka dot dress she was wearing. "Oh, and it's just sunscreen. It'll keep your skin from getting sunburned." Steven said. "Here, lemme spray you!" 

"Oh, totally!" she said. Just remembering the _horrible_ sunburns she'd gotten when she'd woken up on the beach made her shudder... "And thanks, kiddo. I mean, it's your mom's dress, not mine, but still.” 

"Yeah, and she looks pretty when _she_ wears it too!" Steven sprayed the strong, yet pleasant smelling sunscreen on Amethyst's arms and neck. "There we go!" 

They heard the sound of a car door, and Steven's eyes lit right up. "Someone's here! Oooh, I wonder who -- " He peered into the driveway, then immediately bolted over to the car. "Connie!!" 

"Hi, Steven!" Connie responded, hugging Steven once they met. She was a couple inches shorter than him, and her dark hair was pulled back into a neat french braid; she wore a pink and white striped tank top, a pair of black shorts, and some brown sandals. 

As Steven chatted with his newest guest, Amethyst made her way back into the yard, approaching Rose and Greg. "Uh, you guys need any help? I just woke up, so sorry for not asking sooner..." 

"Don't worry about it. It took me a _long_ time to adjust to the human circadian rhythm." Rose said with a wink. "But if you don't mind, could you get us some more ice from the kitchen? It should be at the very front of the freezer." 

"No problem." Amethyst gave her a thumbs up, turning and heading back towards the house. 

As she pulled the bag of ice from the freezer, she spotted Lion sitting by his water bowl, purring loudly. "Aw, you want some?" Amethyst plucked a few ice cubes out of the bag and plopped them into his water bowl. "There ya go." she cooed, scritching his ears before heading back out. 

As Amethyst stepped back outside, she saw that Steven, Connie, and a newer guest -- was Peedee his name? -- had already begun swimming in the pool, while Doug and Priyanka chatted with Rose and Greg on the patio. Amethyst opened the cooler and emptied the bag of ice, and from the corner of her eye, she saw Garnet and Pearl coming in through the gate. 

"Hey!" Rose called, waving a hand at them, 

"Hey there." Garnet greeted softly, adjusting her heart-shaped sunglasses. Pearl smiled as she greeted Rose, but her expression fell ever so slightly the moment she laid eyes on Amethyst. The latter burned with a mixture of shame and irritation -- Pearl _really_ knew how to hold a grudge. She shyly acknowledged Garnet with a wave before ducking her head and heading towards the pool. She'd rather bathe in that chemical-filled water than deal with Pearl staring at her all night. 

"Hey, kiddos." she said, slipping out of her dress and smoothing out the black two-piece swimsuit underneath. 

"Hey, Amethyst!" Steven grinned. "Did you wanna play volleyball with us?" 

"You bet I do!" Amethyst said, sitting down on the edge of the pool and sliding into the water with a splash. She shuddered at how cold it was, and silently asked herself _why_ regular salt water wasn't good enough for humans, but managed to adjust to the temperature _and_ chemical smell after a few moments. 

"You wanna be on Connie's team?" Steven asked. "I'm with Peedee." 

"Sounds good." Amethyst said, swimming over to Connie's side of the pool. Then, she leaned into her ear and whispered, "How do you play? I'm out of the loop." 

"Oh, it's pretty simple! You just bump the ball back and forth. Like this!" Connie popped the ball up into the air with the palm of her hand. Peedee dove for it and knocked it back in their direction. Amethyst, still processing Connie's demonstration, flinched as the ball bounced back off of her head. 

Steven burst into laughter. "It was your turn to hit it, silly!" 

"Hey, cut me some slack, I'm new to this." she snickered, grabbing the volleyball and _whacking_ it with full force -- straight into Steven's face. 

She cupped her hands over her mouth. "Oh shit! I'm so sorry, I -- " 

But before she could apologize any further, Steven had burst into a fit of laughter. "It's _volley_ ball, not dodgeball, silly!" 

Amethyst let out a sigh of relief. "Geez, I really thought I hurt you. Now I don't feel so bad." 

"Pfft, I'm made of steel. This little volleyball won't even phase me!" Steven whacked the ball back in Amethyst's direction, but she narrowly dodged it. She grabbed the ball from the surface of the water and knocked it in Steven's direction again, hitting him in the face yet again and cackling. 

As the two of them went back and forth, whacking each other with the volleyball and laughing themselves to tears, Connie and Peedee exchanged confused glances. 

"Try not to knock each other’s brains out, you two!" Rose called from the picnic table, giggling. 

"Pfft, like _that_ could happen!" Steven giggled, tossing the ball at the side of Amethyst's head. 

"Augh!!" she exclaimed, dramatically clasping a hand over her ear. "My brain is falling out! Nooo!" She fell over into the water, causing Steven to only laugh even harder. 

Once Steven and Amethyst had finally settled down, the four of them prepared, once again, for a _real_ volleyball match. Pearl watched from her seat at the table, fidgeting with her juice stained popsicle stick and tearing it to shreds. Garnet rose to her feet and glanced in Pearl's direction. "I think I'm going to join them. Maybe I'll be able to keep it peaceful this time." she said with a chuckle. "Do you want to come along, Pearl?" 

"Perhaps a bit later. Still feeling... You know." she said. 

"I understand." Garnet smiled, patting her on the shoulder before heading over to the pool. 

With Garnet gone, Pearl was feeling even _more_ anxious. Everyone else at the table was chatting and laughing together, but Pearl struggled to chime in, so she simply zoned out, watching the volleyball game in the pool. Her gaze fell on Amethyst more often than she’d like to admit… But when Amethyst caught her glancing in her direction, she immediately averted her gaze... Guilt and anger tangled in her chest. _'Heaven's sake... What is wrong with me today?'_ she thought with a sigh, taking a sip from her bottle of water.

* * *

The sun began to set; soon enough, a couple more teenagers had shown up -- some of Steven's friends, Pearl presumed, though they looked a fair bit older than him -- and Greg had started setting up the bonfire. For most of the night, Pearl had attempted to enjoy herself; she'd even taken a quick dip in the pool, but ended up getting somewhat overwhelmed by how noisy the kids (and... Amethyst) were being. But when she re-joined the adults chatting on the patio, she felt just as uncomfortable. It seemed no matter where she put herself, she found herself feeling isolated and overwhelmed. 

"Excuse me for a moment." Pearl said, half expecting nobody to even notice -- but Rose gave her an understanding smile, which made Pearl's heart pound even faster than it already was, and she hurried into the house before it could burst out of her ribcage. 

As soon as she shut the glass door, instant relief washed over her. It wasn't quite as cool as she'd hoped -- with everyone outside, the air conditioning and fans had been turned off -- but it was _quiet_ , and she was alone, and that was all she needed. 

With a heavy sigh, she leaned against the wall in the hallway and slid down to the floor. Silence. Then, the soft pitter-pattering of paws on the carpet; Pearl glanced up and smiled at the approaching cat -- Lion, was that his name? -- and stroked his back. "Hey there, little kitty..." she whispered, allowing him to crawl onto her lap. The soft feeling of his fur on her fingertips soothed her, bringing her anxiety and sensory overload closer and closer to an acceptable level... 

Then, she heard the glass door slide open. She tensed as Lion leapt from her lap, clearly wanting to greet whoever had just come in the house. She heard two familiar voices in the kitchen; one was Steven, and the other Amethyst. 

"I'll get the stuff for s'mores! Do you wanna get the mosquito repellent?" 

"Yep! It's in the bathroom, right?" 

As Pearl heard footsteps approaching, she immediately rose back to her feet, banging her head against a picture frame she'd completely forgotten was there. 

"Shit -- " she hissed as she rubbed the bump on her scalp. When she opened her eyes, she was staring straight at Amethyst. 

"Hey, uh, you okay?" Amethyst asked. "Didn't mean to startle ya, heh." 

"Yes. I'll be fine." she responded through gritted teeth. As she pulled her hand away from her head, she noticed a faint patch of blood on the pads of her fingers. "Goodness..." 

"Man, your timing couldn't be worse. We used up _all_ the ice in the cooler." Amethyst said, continuing into the bathroom. "Want me to get you a cold washcloth?" she added. 

She truly didn't, and in all honesty, she just wanted Amethyst to get what she needed and leave, but... She also didn't want to be rude, and if they had no ice, there wasn't really any other option... "Ah, that might help. Thank you." she said, following Amethyst into the bathroom. 

Amethyst grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet and drenched it in cold water, handing it over to Pearl after wringing it out. "Here ya go!" 

"Thank you." Pearl smiled softly, pressing the cool cloth against the sore spot on her head. 

"No problemo." Amethyst said. "Now, for that mosquito stuff... Ah, shit. I shoulda asked Steven what it looked like. Do you know mosquito re... repel... The stuff that keeps mosquitos off, you know what I'm talking about? What's that look like?" Amethyst asked, rummaging through the cabinet. 

Pearl crouched down beside Amethyst, still holding the cloth up to her head with one hand, and reached for the mosquito spray in the very front. 

"Oh, thanks!" Amethyst smiled sheepishly, a bit embarrassed that she hadn't noticed it right under her nose. "Welp, I'm heading back out. You gonna be okay?" 

"I've banged my head before. I _think_ I'll survive." she said, rolling her eyes. 

Amethyst rolled her eyes in return. _'That's what I get for being nice, I guess.'_ "Alright. Later." And with that, she began to make her way out the door, but Pearl lifted her head up and called out, "Wait!" 

Amethyst glanced back. "...What?" 

"I... Forgive me for being rude, I'm just -- I'm not having a very good night. Or week." Pearl sighed. 

"I can tell." Amethyst said. "I probably haven't helped, with breaking shit in your store and calling you a horse and all that." Amethyst shrugged. "I really am sorry about that, by the way. I was kind of a dick." 

"Oh, it's not even that... But I appreciate the apology." Pearl began, taking the cloth from the back of her head and setting it down on the sink. "There's... I just feel like something isn't right." she continued, her eyes still not meeting Amethyst's. "Either with my head, or... With you. Because ever since you showed up..." She bit her lip. "Never mind. I need to keep some thoughts to myself. I'll come and join you guys by the bonfire in a few minutes." 

Amethyst opened her mouth to respond, but heard Steven call from down the hallway. "Amethyst, did you find that mosquito stuff?" 

"Yeah, just a sec!" Amethyst called back. She turned back towards Pearl, but she'd already turned her gaze towards the window, making it clear she didn't want to continue the conversation any longer. 

"Alrighty..." Amethyst said. "See ya outside, then." She turned and made her way out, hesitating for a moment in case Pearl responded (she didn't) and then continued on her way down the hallway.

* * *

For the rest of the night, Amethyst _tried_ to enjoy herself. Some of her irritation towards Pearl, admittedly, hung around -- yet at the same time, she felt a hint of pity towards her. If she had been in her situation, she'd probably be irritable, too. _’I should cut her some slack…’_

"Hey, uh, Amethyst?" Steven tapped Amethyst on the shoulder, snapping her back to reality. "I know they're best when they're crispy, but your marshmallow is gonna be a lump of coal if you don't take it out soon." 

"Oh, right." Amethyst pulled her stick out from the fire and blew the flames out from her marshmallow. She smeared it across a graham cracker and placed some chocolate on top, smushing it all together with a second graham cracker. 

As the night went on, some of the guests began to file out; Connie, Priyanka, and Doug were the first to leave, insisting that Connie needed to be in bed by ten. Peedee went home shortly after -- his curfew was the same as Connie’s. Now, it was just the Universe family, Pearl, Garnet, Lars, Sadie, and Amethyst. 

"Can we tell some scary ghost stories?" Steven suggested. 

"If we do that, you'll be up all night." Rose chuckled. "And wipe your face, you have marshmallow all over." 

"Aww, I promise I won't..." Steven whined, wiping his face with his arm. 

"Sorry, kiddo." Greg ruffled Steven's hair. "Last time you got _really_ scared, and we don’t want that. But I know another way we can have fun! What if we do campfire songs instead?" Greg suggested. "I can bring out my guitar!" 

"Laaame." Lars mumbled through a mouthful of s'mores, and Sadie elbowed him in the ribs. 

"Ooh, that'd be just as fun! Maybe even funner!" Steven perked right up. "I know _someone_ who's a good singer." He grinned at Sadie. 

"Hm? Oh, I don't know about _that_..." she blushed, nibbling on a plain graham cracker. “M-maybe another time.” 

After Greg went inside to retrieve his guitar, Amethyst spotted a cluster of familiar glowing bugs off in the distance. "Whoa..." her eyes widened. "Hey, Rose." she began, glancing towards the woman in the lawn chair beside her. "What are those glowy things called?" 

"Hm?" she glanced over in the direction Amethyst was staring. "Oh, those are called fireflies! Or lightning bugs, depending on where you come from." 

"They're so cool… I saw them the other night and thought I was dreaming, heh." she remarked. She spotted a fleck of green light just above her head, eagerly reaching out and cupping it in her hands. "Gotcha!" 

"Ooh, lemme see!" Steven leaned against Amethyst's shoulder. When she opened her hands, the bug immediately fluttered out, its body glowing bright green. It flew all the way to the other side of the bonfire and landed on Pearl's shoulder, causing her to flinch in surprise. 

"Oh, hello there!" she giggled, relaxing once she realized it wasn't a mosquito. She allowed the bug to crawl onto her finger, watching as it glowed and lit up her fingernail. She turned her gaze up towards Amethyst, and for the first time since they’d met, gave her a genuine little smile. But it only lasted a mere second before the firefly took off into the night, and Pearl watched it go. 

"Alright, got my guitar!" Greg said, strumming it once he sat back down in his seat. "Anyone got any song requests?" 

Silence. Then, Steven decided to speak up. "Oh, I know! You should sing that one song that goes like, um..." Steven tapped his head as he tried to remember it. "The one goes like, _'what are you doing here'_ , you know?" 

"I'm still working on that one, though..." Greg scratched the back of his head. "Besides, I'm sure everyone else probably wants to hear a song they already know..." 

"Aww, but it's so good! Pretty please?" Steven begged, giving Greg the biggest puppy eyes he could manage -- and with his cat-like pupils, he had an advantage. 

"I'd like to hear it, Mr. Universe!" Sadie said. 

"Me too." Garnet chimed in. 

"Aww... Alright. Guess I can't say no, now." Greg chuckled. He cleared up his throat and strummed his guitar, adjusting the knobs on the side to make sure it was perfectly tuned before he began. 

" _Do you believe in destiny?  
Close your eyes and leave the rest to me..._" 

As she listened to the song, Amethyst reached for the bag of marshmallows and pierced one with her stick. She held it out to the crackling fire, and caught a quick glimpse of Pearl from the other side, who was preparing herself another marshmallow as well. They made a quick moment of eye contact before Pearl quickly glanced away. 

" _...Do you believe in fantasy?  
I have to when it's right in front of me, oh...'_" 

The light from the fire illuminated every little detail of Pearl’s face; if she was aware of it, Amethyst had a feeling she'd probably be self-conscious. Human women were like that... Compared to Rose, she barely wore any makeup, and had some sleep-deprived bags beneath her eyes... Yet it was almost charming. _'Oh, get a grip.'_ she thought, shaking her head. _'Don't go drooling over her now. She already thinks you’re a freak...'_

" _What are you doing here,  
in the real world?  
What are you doing here,  
so close I could touch you?'_" 

As Pearl pulled her marshmallow out from the fire, and smushed it between a few squares of chocolate and two graham crackers, she rest her arm on top of Garnet's -- she'd mostly calmed down from her fit of anxiety earlier, but still clung to Garnet as a way of making sure she _stayed_ that way. Social gatherings, no matter how calm, always had the potential to overstimulate, and physical affection (when Pearl herself initiated it) was one thing that always kept her grounded. 

She glanced across the bonfire at Amethyst once more, allowing another soft smile to spread across her face. But she couldn’t help noticing… something about Amethyst's eyes looked so _unnatural_. The pupils were narrow slits… They almost reminded her of a cat’s. _’What if…’_ Her body tensed up once again and she gripped Garnet's arm, her warm smile fading. 

Amethyst's heart sank. 

" _What are you doing here,  
and what are you doing to me?_"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!!! i projected onto pearl quite a bit in this chapter lol 
> 
> hope you enjoyed, and i appreciate any comments!!! <3


	6. Chapter 6

Having woken up only a mere few hours ago, and not having much to do at the house, Amethyst decided to head out to the boardwalk and help out at Steven's lemonade stand. For the most part, that just involved keeping him company, since running a lemonade stand wasn't very busy work -- but at one point, she had to stare down a group of teenagers who were snickering at him and eyeing his jar of quarters. 

"Kids can be such pricks..." Amethyst grumbled once they were out of sight. She glanced back down at the magazine in her lap, flipping to the next page. 

"Hey, I'm a kid too, ya know." Steven stuck a tongue out at her. 

"Yeah, but you're an exception." Amethyst smirked, swatting a mosquito away from her arm. 

"Oh no!" Steven gasped. "The mosquitoes are out _already_? That means..." He glanced at his Burger King wrist watch. "It's almost seven! We gotta pack up; Dad doesn't like when I'm late for dinner." 

"Alrighty, kiddo." Amethyst pulled herself to her feet. "You make any money today?" 

"Yeah! A whole lot, actually! There's probably like... five dollars in here!" he said, placing the lid on the jar of coins and screwing it on tight. "I'm gonna get that new bike in no time!" 

"Hell yeah, you are." Amethyst said. She poured the remaining lemonade into paper cup -- there was _just_ enough left to fill it up -- and took a few sips. “Here ya go.” She handed the rest to Steven, who eagerly finished it up. 

Steven folded up his little plastic chair and slung it over his shoulder, and Amethyst put the lemonade supplies into the cardboard box he used as his “stand”, and the two of them made their way back to the house. 

The sun was still high in the sky, but the chirping crickets assured them that it _was_ night time. A handful of tourists still walked up and down the streets, but less than there had been earlier in the day; and as they turned down the road to Steven's house, there was even less traffic. 

“Hey!” a voice called. 

Amethyst and Steven both jumped in surprise. They looked around, but didn’t see anyone nearby "W-what was that?" Steven asked, his voice wavering. 

"Eh... probably nothing. Let's just go." Amethyst said, urging Steven forward. But then, they heard a _thud_ , followed by the sound of a rolling garbage can. 

A tall, beautiful woman emerged from the alley. As Amethyst's eyes adjusted to the dim light, she saw that she was tan and muscular, and she had vitiligo, with patches of paler skin on her arms and face. Her eyes reflected a bright golden-amber as she gazed in their direction, and upon seeing Amethyst, her slit-like pupils widened. "What the hell are you _doing_ here?" Jasper hissed, slowly approaching them. 

Steven hid behind Amethyst, and the latter clenched her fists at her sides -- though she clearly didn't stand a chance against a woman twice her size, she at least _tried_ to look threatening. "Um, what are _you_ doing?" she responded, her voice cracking. "I don't know about you, but I'm just walking this kid home, and in case you can't tell, you're making him pretty nervous. So can you chill?" 

Jasper glared from Amethyst to Steven, and then back to Amethyst. An expression of realization spread across her face. "Of course. I should've expected you to sink this low..." she groaned, shaking her head in shame. "Do you at _least_ know where Pink is?" 

"I don't know who or what that is." Amethyst said, reaching back to pat Steven on the shoulder as she heard him whimper again. "Now can you leave us alone?" 

Jasper snickered. "Whatever. I knew you'd be useless. Good luck, Amethyst." And with that, she continued on her way down the street. 

_'What the hell...?'_ Amethyst thought. _'How did she know my name...?'_ But she shook it off as she felt Steven cling to her, and gave him a gentle hug in an attempt to comfort him. "It's alright, buddy." she reassured. “Look, we're almost home. That lady was just kinda rude, but she didn't seem like she wanted to hurt us." 

"O-okay." Steven whimpered. He clutched his jar of quarters close to his chest as if his life depended on it. He quickened up his pace, his little flip-flops flapping hard on the pavement until they reached the front porch of his house.

* * *

As soon as they were inside, Steven barreled straight towards Rose and pulled her into a tight embrace. 

"Oh, hey there!" Rose chuckled, awkwardly patting his back. "You alright, honey? It's not even seven yet, you didn't have to bolt home _that_ fast..." 

"Amethyst, tell her what happened!" Steven said, burying his face into his mother's shoulder. 

Amethyst blushed. "Oh, uh... There was just some lady who approached us while we were walking home. She was kicking garbage cans around, and was kinda rude to me... But I don't think she meant any real harm. Steven's just a little shaken up, that's all." 

"You were scared, too." Steven pouted. "It wasn't _just_ me." 

"Yeah, yeah." Amethyst snorted, patting Steven on the head. 

"Well, we're going to be on the safe side, alright?" Rose’s voice was soft and reassuring, and she tilted Steven's head upright so she could look into his eyes. "How about I walk you home tomorrow?" she suggested. "No offense, Amethyst. But I'm probably a little more intimidating than you _and_ Greg combined." 

"Nah, I get it. I'm about as threatening as a marshmallow." Amethyst snorted. 

"Hah, that’s what I always say!" Greg called from the kitchen. 

Talking about marshmallows only reminded her of how hungry she was, so she made her way towards the kitchen and peered into the boiling pot on the stove. "So what's for dinner today, Gregory?” 

"Oh, just some spaghetti." he said, pouring the long, twig-shaped noodles into the boiling water. "So... what'd this girl look like?" 

"She was tall, buff, had really long blonde hair... Oh, and uh..." Amethyst climbed up onto the counter, sitting near the stove so she could watch Greg more easily. "She talked to me like she knew me. Like, she asked me what I was doing here? And then called me by my name... It was really weird. But I can't remember where I'd have met her before. That said, I barely remember _anything_." 

"Hmm..." Greg hummed to himself as he reached for a wooden spoon, stirring the pot of water. "That is pretty weird." 

"Yeah. And then she started asking me about someone named 'Pink'? Or some _thing_ , even?" Amethyst continued. She picked up a stray piece of spaghetti from the counter and bent it in her hands until it snapped. "Do you know what 'Pink' is? In this context, I mean. Obviously I know it's a color, heh.” 

Greg went silent. For a moment, Amethyst wondered if she'd said something wrong -- but his eyes were cast downward, so she couldn't quite read his expression. Then, he let out an exhale, and finally broke the awkward silence. "Maybe, uh... Steven shouldn't stay out as late tomorrow." he finally said. "Could you make sure he's home by five? And maybe he should do his lemonade stand on our street for a while... I don't know if I want him in the middle of town all by himself." 

Damn, that was early. Especially for a kid on summer vacation... But she wasn't one to tell Greg how to parent his son, so she wasn't going to question it. Still... His tone of voice changed completely after mentioning the whole "Pink" thing. She was tempted to ask why that was, but... Greg was busy, and he already looked pretty uneasy. 

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll make sure he's safe."

* * *

"Ughh, this sucks..." Steven whined, burying his face into his arms. "Ever since I moved my stand, sales have been _terrible_! Can you pleeeease tell my dad I'm not scared anymore?" 

"I ain't your mom, so I don’t get a say in this. And I think he's got a good point, anyway." Amethyst said, leaning against a nearby telephone pole. "Besides, it's not _just_ about being scared. If there's shady people walking around town and nobody's nearby to keep you safe, they might try to steal your hard earned money -- or even snatch _you_ up. And you don't want that, do ya?" 

"I guess not..." Steven sighed, resting his chin in his hands. 

"And you know what else?" Amethyst said. "With your stand closer to home, you won't have to walk as far whenever you need to get more lemonade!" 

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Steven smiled a little. "Oh, by the way -- can you bring this to Garnet and Pearl?" He poured some lemonade into two cups, handing them over to Amethyst. "Since they're so close by, I might as well treat them!” 

"No problem, kiddo." Amethyst said. She grabbed the lemonade and made her way to the store across the street, pushing the door open with her knee. 

"Special delivery!" she announced. 

"Oh! Hello there!" Pearl greeted with a warm smile; it made Amethyst’s heart flutter in her chest. Over these past few weeks, they'd only talked every now and then... And she'd tried to forget those little butterflies she'd felt back at the pool party, but every time she set foot in this store and met those pretty blue eyes and freckled cheeks, they came _right_ back and threatened to burst out of her chest. 

"I brought you guys some lemonade." Amethyst said, setting the two cups on the counter. "Or, well, Steven sent me over. I won't take credit, heh.” 

"Well, thank you very much." Pearl said. She wiped sweat from her forehead -- geez, she felt bad for her, having to work in such a hot store all day -- and took a big sip. 

"So, uh, where's Garnet?" Amethyst asked; only then had she realized she was alone in the store, and that only made her butterflies multiply. 

"She's on her break right now. But I'll be sure to bring this to her!" Pearl giggled. 

"Ohh, gotcha." Amethyst responded. Another awkward silence filled the room as Pearl drank the rest of her lemonade. 

"Well... I'm gonna head out, then." she said, turning and heading towards the door. Pearl tensed, and set her cup back down on the counter. "Ah, before you go..." 

Amethyst froze. _'Shit. I was so close.'_

"I was wondering..." Pearl began, wringing her hands as she stepped out from behind the counter. "Maybe one of these days, we could go for a walk together?" she said. "It probably seems out of nowhere, and I know we don't know each other very well, but... I think if we had a chance to talk, just the two of us... Some things might make a little more sense. It might help me deal with... Ah, it's something that'll take a lot of explaining. And... I-I know we had a rather rocky start, but..." 

Amethyst's heart sank down to her stomach. _'Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit. She's gonna talk about the mermaid stuff, isn't she?'_ she thought, glancing down at her legs. When was the next full moon again? Had a month passed already? She wasn't sure, but... She also couldn't think of an excuse to get out of it. 

"Um... sure!" Amethyst finally responded, turning her gaze back up to Pearl. "That'd be nice. Just like... a walk through town? Or by the beach?" 

"Perhaps the beach... If you don't mind. I find it very peaceful at night..." Pearl said with a sigh of content. 

"Alright! Uh... how about tonight?" At least she could be _pretty_ sure there wouldn't be a full moon tonight; otherwise, Rose would have probably mentioned _something_ about it, especially since Steven was involved. 

"That would work." Pearl smiled warmly. "Thank you again for the lemonade. Tell Steven it was _very_ refreshing!" 

"Will do! Toodles.” Amethyst gave her a thumbs up, and then hurried out the door before Pearl could try to stop her again. 

As much as her fear gripped at her chest... the butterflies were still there, too. _'Maybe they're not so bad...'_ she thought, taking a deep breath before heading back across the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter was a little short! i wanted to make sure this got posted today, though; i'm gonna be travelling to norway tomorrow, so i'll be a little busy for a while! hopefully i'll still be able to update regularly, though! 
> 
> anyway, hope you enjoy! i know amethyst has been a human for a while lmao but more mermaid content is on the way ;3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long! i've been in norway for the past month and taking some intensive norwegian courses, but i finally got around to finishing the chapter! hope you enjoy! <3

As she waited for Pearl to show up, Amethyst sat at a picnic table and drew shapes in the sand with her bare feet. The air grew cooler with each passing second, and the shimmering sun descended over the ocean. Amethyst rubbed her bare arms and felt goosebumps on her skin; she wished she'd brought along a jacket. 

"Good evening, Amethyst!" 

Amethyst perked up and met a very familiar pair of baby blue eyes. "Oh, hey!" she greeted in response. She pulled herself to her feet and made her way towards Pearl, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jean shorts. "You ready for our little nighttime stroll?" 

"I sure am." Pearl smiled warmly. She reached into the brown and black checkered bag hanging from her shoulder, grabbing a little bottle and pouring a fragrant pinkish-white substance onto her palms. Noticing Amethyst's curious expression, she offered the bottle over. "Do you want some lotion?" 

"Ah, sure?" Amethyst said, though she had _no_ idea what purpose it served. She cringed as Pearl squeezed some of the "lotion" onto her palms, and cautiously rubbed it in in the same manner Pearl had done. It smelled... fruity and floral, but she wasn't sure if she liked it. 

"So... what goes on in Pearl world?" Amethyst asked; they'd spent a few moments walking together in silence, save for the sound of lapping waves, and she could sense Pearl's unease. It was clear she had something specific in mind she wanted to talk about. 

"Ah... Quite a few things, actually." Pearl laughed nervously, a slight blush spreading across her cheeks. "Running a business can be a bit overwhelming... Thank goodness I'm not doing it alone, at least." she said. 

"Yeah, sounds like it'd be a pain in the ass sometimes. I'd never be able to do something like that..." Amethyst said. "You ever get shitty customers? Aside from me, obviously." 

Pearl chuckled. "Oh, please. I'm over that little incident by now." she said. "But aside from that, not very often... It _is_ a tourist town, so it's inevitable that we'll get a few unpleasant folks here and there... But for the most part, customers are fairly pleasant..." She fidgeted with a button on her shirt as she spoke, keeping her gaze lowered. 

"Well, that's good." Amethyst said. _Damn_ , did she hate small talk... But when it was with a cute girl, it wasn't quite as bad. 

"And..." Pearl continued, taking a deep breath. "I have something I need to get off my chest. Are you good at keeping secrets?" 

The right answer to that was a big "hell no", but Amethyst's curiosity overpowered any shrivel of desire she had to be honest. "Totally." 

Pearl smiled gratefully. "Perfect." she said, taking a deep breath and a long pause before she continued. "I... I've never fully trusted my own mind. Only Garnet knows this, but... I can't remember anything from before my twentieth birthday." 

Amethyst's heart sank. 

"According to Garnet, I had some sort of accident a little while after I turned twenty... Someone found me on the beach, unconscious. Nobody's really sure what happened to me; I didn't have any injuries, at least according to my doctors, so they're not sure why it happened, but... Whatever happened gave me permanent amnesia." Pearl sighed. "I don't really... have any contact with my family, so Garnet was the one who helped me through it. Over these past nine years, I've created new memories, reformed my relationships, but... For whatever reason, anything before the year 1986 is just... blank. I haven't been able to recover them, no matter how hard I try, or how much Garnet tells me, it just never sticks." 

Her heart racing, Amethyst struggled to respond. She placed a comforting hand on Pearl's shoulder, thinking back to the night she woke up on the beach earlier that month... _'It can't be a coincidence... Something is up, and it involves both of us.'_ "Damn..." she finally responded. "I'm sorry, girlie. That sounds like it must've been hard..." 

Pearl smiled softly. "Well, it's all in the past, now. No need to be sorry about it." She shrugged, biting her lip. "The only thing that _really_ scares me is... Not being able to trust my own brain." Pearl continued. "Sometimes I... I struggle to fall asleep at night, worrying that I'll wake up and it'll happen again. And... and sometimes my mind plays tricks on me. A few weeks ago..." Pearl paused to swallow a lump in her throat. "I-I saw something that wasn't real. Garnet _assured_ me that the heat was just getting to my head, and perhaps she was right, but... i-it was something involving _you_. So... that's why I've been so strange around you. It just... keeps reminding me of that night, of feeling like I can't trust myself, of feeling like I'm..." Her voice cracked, and she cupped a hand over her mouth. 

Amethyst reached for Pearl's free hand and squeezed it tight. "Pearl..." she began, but she wasn't sure how to continue that sentence. Guilt tore at her chest; of _all_ the people that could've found her in that pool, it had to be Pearl... Why couldn't it have been Rose? At least she wouldn't have reacted like this... 

Tears flowed down Pearl's cheeks, and she pulled her other hand away from Amethyst's and wiped them away. "I'm sorry, I-I'm such a mess..." she whimpered. 

"No, no, it's fine! Look, I..." Amethyst spoke again, unsure of where to go with this -- but she had to say _something_. The silence was killing her. "Listen, I'm not a... psychologist, is that the word? I don't know how brains work, you know? But... I think it's safe to say that you're gonna be okay. If you lose your memory again, you can just... start from scratch like you did before, right? You did it once, you could probably do it again..." 

Pearl burst into tears. _'Shit. Maybe shouldn't have said that.'_ Amethyst thought, blushing. 

"Trust me, I've thought of that _many_ times before..." Pearl reached into her purse for a handkerchief, wiping her running nose. "But... I don't think you understand, Amethyst... It took so _long_ to learn how to function on my own again... And on top of that, I just... worry that I can't trust my own mind. I've never hallucinated like that before... What if I go insane? What if I can't trust myself, and Garnet can't trust me? What if -- " 

"Pearl, shh..." Amethyst cupped a hand over Pearl's mouth before she could go on any longer. "Just... Breathe for a minute before you say anything else. You're thinking _way_ too much." 

Pearl nudged Amethyst's hand away once more; the latter blushed, realizing she'd done the same thing not a minute ago. "Don't worry, my hands are clean, heh... Washed 'em before I came here." 

Pearl smiled a little at that. She adjusted her purse, turning toward the horizon of the ocean. "It's alright... Perhaps you have a point, after all... I'm sorry for unpacking all of this on you." 

"Don't be." Amethyst said. 

Another silence lay between the two as they stood together, watching the sun finish its journey into the horizon. Amethyst caught a glimpse of the moon hanging up in the deepening blue sky; waning gibbous. 

She glanced over towards Pearl again; a smile remained on her face, but Amethyst could sense that beneath the exterior... She was still terrified, and she didn't know how to handle it... Amethyst's heart raced as an idea crossed her mind -- it was stupid, and incredibly dangerous, but... If there was _anything_ she could do about it, she wasn't going to let Pearl continue feeling this way. 

"I think I know something that might help." Amethyst finally spoke up, causing Pearl to flinch. 

"Oh?" She tilted her head in curiosity. 

"I can't do it tonight. It'll... take a few days." Amethyst said. "This weekend, let's meet up again. Well, not _here_." She gestured towards the patch of trees nearby. "There's a little section of the beach just past those trees. Nobody ever goes there, at least that I know of, and well..." she trailed off as she realized just how suspicious that sounded. "We need to be alone. Well, mostly alone, anyway. I understand that sounds kinda shady, so if you want, you can bring Garnet along." She regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth; spilling her secret to _one_ human was enough, but telling _two_ was just asking for trouble. 

Pearl looked uncertain, and for a moment, Amethyst feared she'd still say no. But after a bit of hesitation, she responded. "Alright." she said, fidgeting with her purse. "I'm... skeptical, but I'll take your word for it. Is Saturday alright?" 

"Saturday is _perfect._ "

* * *

Once Amethyst made her way back to the house, she was met with Rose sitting on the couch, stirring a cup of steaming tea. 

"You were out late tonight." she remarked with a slightly concerned smile, taking a sip. "What were you up to? Hopefully keeping safe?" 

"Oh, just... taking a walk with Pearl. And no, we weren't approached by any weird strangers this time, heh." Amethyst ran her fingers through her hair, making her way towards the stairs. 

"Ah, alright." Rose nodded, setting her cup down on a coaster. "Make sure you're home early this Saturday, though. It's going to be a full moon, so it's important that you _and_ Steven are safe." 

Amethyst froze. Her instincts were telling her to just nod along and continue on her way upstairs, but... Her guilt got the best of her. "Oh, yeah..." Amethyst slowly turned around; in all honesty, she wasn't sure _how_ Rose would react to her plans for this weekend. "About that..." 

Rose glanced back from her place on the couch. "Hm?" 

"So, uh... while I was out with Pearl today..." Amethyst walked over and sat down on the other end of the couch, fidgeting with the bottom of her skirt. "I kinda... Told her to meet up with me this weekend." 

Rose chuckled. "You _already_ forgot the full moon was coming?" 

"No, no, I didn't. That's the thing." Amethyst continued. Rose's expression fell as she took another sip of tea; she wasn't angry, though, at least it didn't look like it… She seemed more confused than anything. "I, uh... Look, it's a long story, but…” Amethyst continued, “I think I want to tell her the truth." 

Rose choked on her tea. She set her cup aside to cough, and Amethyst reluctantly patted her on the back. Once she recovered, she looked at Amethyst with a bewildered expression. "Um… I don't think that's going to happen." she finally said, clearing her throat. 

"Look… I get why you're not thrilled about this." Amethyst began, "I'll leave you and Steven both out of it, I promise. But I _really_ think I need to tell her; I think she might --" 

"Except you _can't_ leave us out of it." Rose narrowed her eyes. "Because if anyone finds out _you're_ a mermaid, they'll start to question the people you've been living with. Do you realize what could happen to Steven if the wrong person finds out?" 

"I... I mean, yeah." Amethyst sighed. "But... I dunno, Pearl's been really shaken up by this whole thing. Maybe you haven't noticed it yourself, but... She told me she's been _really_ doubting her own brain after she... saw me. It's been really fucking her up... So I thought maybe... If I showed her that it _wasn't_ all in her head, she'd feel a little better?" 

"Amethyst..." Rose let out a sigh and rubbed her face. She went silent for a few moments, as if to ponder her words before she spoke again... Amethyst's gaze fell down to the floor. Her heart ached with guilt... but at the same time, she didn't want Pearl feeling like this if there was anything she could do about it. 

"Pearl can recover from this..." Rose began, lifting her head from her hands. "But if the wrong person finds out about you, or me, or God forbid _Steven_... it could cost us our lives. Are you really willing to risk that for Pearl's feelings?" 

"I mean..." Amethyst let out a sigh. "I don't have anything to lose. I still have no fucking clue why I'm even _here_." 

"Maybe not, but I do." Rose said. "And if she finds out about you, it will affect _all_ of us. This isn't about you. Do _not_ tell her, Amethyst. _Please_." She reached for Amethyst's hands and squeezed them tight. "Don't leave the house on Saturday no matter what. Not for me, but for Steven." 

Amethyst drew in a deep breath. _'There's no way I'll convince her...'_ she thought, refusing to look Rose in the eyes. Part of her knew, deep down, that Rose was right... And yet that selfish inkling of hope lingered right beside it, praying that her secret would be safe in Pearl’s hands... Or maybe that Pearl, too, was someone like them. 

"Alright... Fine." Amethyst pulled her hands away. "I'll... tell her that we’ll go for our walk on Sunday instead." She refused to meet Rose's eyes. 

Rose let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Amethyst." she said, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I hope you understand… I promise I’m not trying to control you. I just want all of us to be safe... You understand that, right?" 

"Yeah, yeah." Amethyst waved a hand dismissively. "Don't sweat it. Your house, your rules."

* * *

Saturday had come; the sun still high in the sky, Rose had ensured that Steven and Amethyst were home for the night _long_ before it would get dark. All doors were locked, a kiddy pool filled with water was set up in Steven's room, and the bath tub was filling up with warm water for Amethyst. 

"Do you wanna rubber ducky?" Steven asked as Amethyst sat on the bathroom floor, watching the bath tub fill up with water. 

"Huh?" Amethyst said, turning to him and spotting the duck-shaped toy in his hand. "Uh, sure, why not." 

"Are you excited?" Steven sat down beside her and grinned. He placed the rubber duck in the water, giving it a nudge so it'd float across the tub. "I love transforming! It was scary when I was little, but now it's a lot of fun!" 

"Really? It hurt like a bitch last time. I'm guessing it gets better?" Amethyst said, dipping her fingers into the water and swirling it around. She glanced up towards the clock on the wall; it was getting close to eight... Pearl was probably already at the beach. 

"Yeah, it does. I started transforming when I was still a baby, so I don't even remember if it hurt." Steven said. 

"Well, that's good. Maybe it won't be as awful this time around." Amethyst snorted. 

A silence fell between the two; Amethyst glanced over at Steven, wondering why he was still sitting there. 

"So, um..." Steven fidgeted once he noticed Amethyst was staring at him. "What's your favorite color? Mine's pink!" 

Amethyst bit her lip. Had Rose sent him in here to keep her from sneaking out? "Purple." she finally said. "Hey, speaking of purple stuff, you wanna do me a favor?" 

"Sure!" Steven grinned. 

"Can you get me a popsicle from the freezer? You know which color I want." she said with a wink. 

"On it, ma'am!" Steven jumped to his feet, scampering out of the bathroom and down the hallway. 

_'Finally.'_ Amethyst let out a sigh of relief. Cracking her knuckles, she pushed the bathroom window open and lifted herself up onto the windowsill with a grunt. 

"Hey Amethyst, we're all outta purple!" Steven called from across the house. 

"Keep looking! I know I saw one this morning!" she called back, climbing down onto the grass. 

"Okaayyy..." Steven said in his I-don't-believe-you tone. It would keep him busy for another few moments, though, and that was what mattered; once she had both feet on the ground, Amethyst turned and hurried through the backyard and towards the fence. 

With each step she took, though, her guilt rose up in her chest, forming a nervous lump in her throat... _'Rose is gonna be so pissed...'_ she thought with a gulp. As she reached the fence and began to climb over, she almost wished Rose would step outside and catch her red-handed... And deep down, she knew that what she was doing was selfish. But then she remembered Pearl, and her heart raced in her chest, and she pushed herself forward.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoy the chapter!! <3 
> 
> (trigger warning for descriptions of drowning in the very beginning)

_Pale fog surrounded Pearl. Her ears were clogged, her body suspended and light; she held her breath for an unknown reason, but feared what'd happen if she found out why. The fog thickened until she was surrounded in nothing but solid white. Pearl’s body trembled. Before she knew it, she could no longer hold her breath. She gasped for air and salty water filled her lungs._

_Pearl clutched her chest and cried out in pain, but the water muffled her voice. With each passing second, Pearl’s consciousness slipped away until everything went dark._

* * *

Pearl bolted upright with a gasp. Her body clammy and drenched in sweat, it took her a moment to process where she was. She gripped the bed sheets tight, grounding herself as she steadied her breath, slowly returning to reality and assuring herself that, yes, she was in her room, and could breathe. 

Once her breath was back to a steady pace, she flopped down onto the pillows and glanced at the clock on her dresser. 6:32. She had a couple hours until she _actually_ needed to get up. Normally Pearl would take advantage of that… but the sweat covering her body made her feel sticky and disgusting, and the sickness from her nightmare lingered in her stomach, so she reluctantly pulled herself out of bed. 

Pearl made her way across the hall, making sure to tread carefully in case Garnet was still asleep; but she heard footsteps in the kitchen and relaxed, continuing at her usual gait until she reached the bathroom. 

As Pearl brushed her teeth, she refused to look at her reflection in the mirror. She _knew_ she'd have those hideous bags under her eyes. It'd taken hours to fall asleep that night; at most, she'd gotten four hours of proper rest. Even without her sleep deprivation, she never found herself a beautiful sight to look at; with her nose too big for her face, a body so formless and flat chested she looked like a brick, it only soured her mood. Only once she’d finished brushing and rinsed her mouth did she look at the mirror, and even then, she merely glanced long enough to smooth out her hair. 

Pearl grabbed a little silver box on the edge of the sink. Removing the lid, she retrieved a small, brown ring and slipped it onto her thumb. She stroked the smooth material with her index finger; Garnet had once told her it was made of solid tumbled sardonyx. 

It had been a birthday gift from many years back, when Pearl was still recovering from her amnesia... Ever since then, a day hadn't passed where Pearl didn't wear the ring. The thought of forgetting Garnet _again_ made Pearl sick to her stomach; but as long as that ring was on her thumb, she felt safe. 

Pearl made her way back down the hallway. She could smell coffee brewing in the kitchen; as someone who preferred tea, she was never a fan of it, but the scent always made her feel right at home. Her mood immediately brightened just a touch as she spotted Garnet at the counter. 

"Morning." Garnet said. Pearl opened the fridge and looked to see what she had to work with: not much, but they _did_ have some fresh blueberries that Rose had given them the other day. 

"Good morning." Pearl finally responded. "Do you want me to make pancakes?" The thought of food made her stomach turn… Normally she was bright and ready to eat breakfast upon waking up, but after that little nightmare -- even if it had mostly faded from her memory, and she could only remember the strange sense of anxiety that accompanied it -- food was the last thing she wanted. Still, Garnet was never good in the kitchen, and Pearl knew she’d probably enjoy a change from her usual routine of jam and toast. 

"Always." Garnet said with a wink. She lifted herself up onto the counter and crossed her legs, taking a sip of her coffee. "I can't believe it's already Saturday. This week went by pretty quickly.” 

"I think so, too." Pearl lied; in all honesty, this week had felt more like a month. She searched the fridge for pancake ingredients; blueberries, eggs, butter... _'I hope we have enough flour.'_ she thought, closing the fridge and heading over to the cabinet. 

"Do you have any plans for tonight?" Garnet asked, setting her mug aside. "I want to go to the mall. Our sales have been decent this week, and I'd like to splurge on something nice..." 

Pearl bit her lip. Throughout the week, she'd debated telling Garnet about her plans to meet with Amethyst... But every time she tried, a mixture of shame and guilt welled up in her chest. After how much Garnet had comforted Pearl these past few weeks, she’d started to worry she was asking a little _too_ much. Besides, she had no way to even explain the situation without it sounding sketchy and incredibly vague -- which it _absolutely_ was. 

"I was planning to visit Amethyst, actually." Pearl responded as she stirred the pancake ingredients together. "But I won't be offended if you go to the mall without me. Maybe you could invite Bismuth?” 

"That’s true… Or maybe all four of us could hang out together. I think Amethyst and Bismuth would get along pretty well." Garnet suggested. 

"Hm, I think I'd prefer if it was just the two of us tonight." Pearl said, turning on the stove and greasing a frying pan with some butter. 

"Ah, I understand." Garnet smiled knowingly, and Pearl’s cheeks flushed. Still, Garnet’s assumption was less embarrassing than the reality of the situation, so she let it be. 

"D-do you want two or three pancakes?" Pearl hoped to change the subject. 

"Just two." Garnet said. Once she'd finished her coffee, she slipped down from the counter and made her way into the living room. Garnet retrieved her comb and a couple of neon scrunchies, and stood in front of the body length mirror as she parted her hair into two sections. 

Pearl poured a ladle of pancake mix onto the sizzling pan. With a spatula in hand, she leaned against the counter and watched as Garnet styled her hair in two puffy little pigtails. Pearl smiled; she always found it charming when she did cutesy hair styles like that. She normally kept her hair in a ponytail for convenience, but every now and then she'd do pigtails or braids, and would always decorate it with colorful hair clips, scrunchies, or bows. 

Pearl remembered the pancake and quickly flipped it; thankfully, it was the _perfect_ golden brown color she always aimed for. The more time that passed, the more the residue of her nightmare began to fade. By then, she’d almost forgotten about it altogether. _'Maybe I'll have some pancakes after all...'_

* * *

The sun descended over the ocean; as she waited, Pearl periodically checked the leather watch on her wrist. It was a few minutes past seven already. The more time her mind had to wander, the more her anxiety bubbled up in her chest, and she began to regret not bringing Garnet along. 

"Hey, girly-girl!" a familiar voice called, snapping Pearl away from her thoughts. 

"Good evening!" Pearl responded, tucking her hair behind her ears. 

"Where's Garnet?" Amethyst asked, shoving her hands into her skirt pockets. 

"I decided not to bring her along..." Pearl fidgeted with the collar of her shirt. "She's had a lot on her plate lately, and she wanted to spend tonight with one of her friends, anyway." 

Amethyst smiled in a way that made Pearl's heart flutter. "That's fine with me. Do you wanna go for a swim?" 

Pearl glanced down at her purse. “Oh, uh, I hadn't considered that! I didn't bring a swimsuit or a towel, so..." 

_’Oh, right.’_ Amethyst thought. She’d forgotten humans had special clothing intended specifically for swimming. _Why_ exactly they were so particular about these things, she failed to understand. "No biggie. I was just gonna go for a quick dip. But I won't swim too far or anything.” 

"That's fine with me." Pearl relaxed her shoulders. "Perhaps I’ll dip my feet in, though…” 

“Nice!" Amethyst said. And with that, she waded into the shallow water, clothes and all. 

Pearl gave her a puzzled expression. "You're swimming in your clothes?" 

Amethyst snorted. "You want me to take them off?" 

Pearl cupped her hands over her mouth. "No! _Goodness_ no, I just -- don't normally see people swim in their _clothes_ , that's all. But there's nothing wrong with it, I suppose... it's just... a bit strange?" 

"Alrighty then. I'm fine with being strange." Amethyst smirked, continuing into the water until the surface reached her chin. She let out a sigh of content; maybe her transformation would be a little less painful this time around, now that she was surrounded by plenty of chlorine-free water. 

“So…” Pearl removed her shoes and stepped into the water. It was quite warm, and far more pleasant than she’d expected. Rolling her jeans up as high as they could go, she stepped forward until the tides just barely grazed her knees. “There was something you wanted to talk to me about?” 

Amethyst’s expression softened. “Yeah…” she said, scratching the back of her head. Amethyst glanced up at the dimming sky before she continued. “So… You remember what you told me about the other day? How you lost your memory a few years ago, and how last month, you saw something that wasn’t real?” 

Pearl swallowed a lump in her throat. “I do.” she responded after a moment of hesitation. 

“Well…” Amethyst paused for a moment, as if trying to figure out her own words. Pearl’s anxiety rose with each passing second. 

"You... you aren’t the only one." Amethyst began. "I also lost my memory. Something happened around a month ago, and I can’t remember _anything_ before then. Not who I am, or where I come from, or why I’m here… Just my name.” Amethyst said. Pearl’s eyes widened. 

“But that’s not the important thing…” she continued. “What I _really_ wanted to say is… What you saw last month was real. It wasn’t in your head.” 

Pearl’s expression fell. “What on earth are you talking about?” 

Amethyst glanced up at the sky once more. _’Why does she keep doing that…?’_ Pearl wondered. It almost seemed as if she was waiting for something... She looked up, too, and spotted the full moon hanging in the golden summer sky. 

“Fuck -- !” Amethyst yelped out, causing Pearl to jump. Before she could ask if she was alright, Amethyst fell backwards into the water with a splash. 

“Amethyst?” she called. No response. _’Oh no…’_ Her heart pounded. She’d never been confident in her swimming abilities -- so for a moment, all she could do was pray that Amethyst would return to the surface… But the longer she waited, the more certain it seemed that something wasn’t right. 

“Amethyst!” Pearl called out again. Fearing what’d happen if she waited any longer, she plunged herself into the water. 

It didn’t take long for Pearl to spot that head of lavender hair. Swimming closer, Pearl gripped her by the shoulders and tugged her upright and towards the surface. Once Amethyst’s head was above the water, she took in a gasp of air. 

“Are you alright?” Pearl urged, cupping Amethyst’s cheeks. “What happened?” 

“Sorry ‘bout that.” Amethyst said, brushing a strand of seaweed away from her forehead. “It caught me by surprise, and once I went under, the water felt so nice that I didn’t wanna come back up, heh…” Amethyst blushed, glancing aside. “Didn't mean to scare ya." 

“ _What_ caught you by surprise?” Pearl urged. “Did you step on...” Pearl trailed off as she caught a glimpse of Amethyst’s hands, and her heart nearly stopped in her chest. Her fingers were webbed together, her nails resembling something more like talons; and as she cast her gaze downward, she spotted a very familiar, very beautiful, shimmering and opalescent tail. 

Amethyst wasn’t sure what to make of Pearl’s expression; her skin turned pale, her eyes were wide, and her mouth was slightly ajar. Pearl looked at her hand and fidgeted with the brown ring on her thumb before turning her gaze back towards Amethyst. 

“It’s happening again, isn’t it?” she whispered. 

Amethyst’s heart dropped down to her stomach. “No - no no no no _no_ , it’s not! I mean, it is, but _it_ isn’t what you think.” Amethyst cupped Pearl’s cheeks, but the latter immediately jerked away from her. Amethyst clasped a hand over her mouth as she saw a slight claw mark on Pearl’s face. “I’m sorry…” she whimpered. 

“T-this is some sort of joke, isn’t it?” Pearl backed away, balling her fists at her sides. “I-I’m not sure _how_ you did it, but--” 

“It’s _not_ a joke! I swear on my life, Pearl!” Amethyst insisted, tugging on her hair. “I don’t know why I’m like this… I don’t remember _anything_. I don’t even remember what I used to be. All I know is that… I lost my memory like you did. So I thought… Maybe…” Tears welled up in Amethyst’s eyes. “I thought maybe you were… I thought you were a mermaid, too, okay?" Her voice cracked, and she buried her face into her hands. "I know that's stupid of me. A-and I think I knew deep down that you'd react like this... I really just _wanted_ it to be true. So this is _my_ fault." 

Pearl’s expression softened. Her fear, and a small hint of anger, still lingered in her chest… Yet at the same time, seeing Amethyst like this broke her heart. Extending a hand, she cautiously approached her and grasped her shoulder. Her soft skin now had a slick, scaly texture. She fidgeted with the ring on her finger for a moment, taking in a long, deep breath. 

“Well… I can tell you for certain that I’m _not_ a mermaid.” Pearl began. “But… Perhaps there’s more to my story than I’d initially considered.” She sighed again. “You don't have to be sorry about this, though... I'm just more confused than ever, and a little shaken up, but... I think I'll survive." 

Amethyst didn't respond. She feared that if she spoke, she'd be unable to hold back her tears anymore. Pearl seemed to pick up on this; she reached for Amethyst’s hands and gave them a squeeze, running her fingers across those sharp talons and webbed skin. It simultaneously intrigued _and_ disturbed her. But the more she looked at Amethyst’s shimmering tail, the more her fear dissolved away. Pearl turned her gaze up to meet Amethyst’s eyes; only now did that alien look in them begin to make sense. Her heart racing, she suddenly pulled Amethyst into a tight embrace. 

At first, Amethyst tensed; but then she allowed herself to close her eyes and melt into the display of affection. 

“It's going to be alright.” Pearl whispered. “I promise, your secret will be safe with me.” 

Another silence fell between the two. They simply held each other tight, listening to the lapping of waves and chirping of crickets. 

“This is gonna sound stupid…” Amethyst finally spoke up. “But like… are you _sure_ you’re not a mermaid?” 

Pearl giggled against Amethyst’s hair. “I have no reason to believe that. I mean, I clearly have two legs now, don’t I?” 

“Yeah, but…” Amethyst began, but decided against it. She wasn’t sure how to explain a lack of monthly transformation without bringing up Rose… “I guess I'm _still_ holding on to that stupid idea that it might be true... I still don’t know what the hell’s going on, you know? I don’t know why I became a human… I don’t even know why I’m _here_.” 

“At least you’re not the only one.” Pearl said, squeezing Amethyst even tighter. “Sometimes, I feel the same way. Even if it’s for a slightly less… mythical reason.” 

Amethyst chuckled. “Yeah, guess so.” 

“But now I can’t help but wonder…” Pearl pulled away from the hug and looked Amethyst in the eyes. “Rose knows about your secret, doesn’t she? Do you think you can trust _her_ with it…?” 

Amethyst blushed. “Oh, yeah, totally, pfft.” Amethyst waved a hand dismissively. Just _talking_ about Rose right now was making her feel guilty. “Like, she was kinda freaked out when she found me, and I had a _lot_ of explaining to do, but uh, she’s doing a good job keeping my secret. Greg and Steven, too. I actually kinda snuck out tonight. She didn’t want me getting myself in danger, but… I wanted to keep my promise to you.” 

Pearl chuckled softly. “You know you could have just _told_ me about this, right? You didn’t have to put yourself in so much danger… I might have believed you if you told me the truth in a convincing way.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind next time.” Amethyst stuck her tongue out. 

Pearl rolled her eyes. “Anyway.” she continued with a sigh, gesturing to her wet clothes. “I would like to head home before I develop hypothermia. Would you like me to take you back to Rose’s house?” 

In all honesty, the thought of facing Rose right now made Amethyst’s stomach turn. “No, I uh, might spend the night here. Rose is gonna be _pissed_ that I snuck out, and I’m not ready to deal with that.” 

“Nonsense. I won’t let you stay out here where you could be seen!” Pearl shook her head. “If you don’t want to see Rose tonight, I could take you back to my apartment. Garnet is out for the night, so it’ll just be the two of us.” 

Amethyst blushed. “Aw, geez… You sure? I don’t want you to worry about me.” 

“I’ll worry far more if you stay out here overnight.” Pearl said. “I insist. Should I carry you to my car? Or are you able to… Grow your legs back?” 

Amethyst snorted. “Man, if only. You gotta carry me if you _really_ wanna take me home with you.” 

“That’s alright.” Pearl said. And just like that, she scooped Amethyst up into her arms. With a grunt, she carried her out of the water and onto the beach, making her way through the woods and into the clearing where her car was parked. 

As skinny as Pearl was, Amethyst had honestly expected her to struggle carrying a heavier woman like herself… Of course, the slight strain on Pearl’s face didn’t make it look _easy_ , either, but they made it all the way to the car without stopping once. 

She placed Amethyst in the front seat, adjusting her scaly fin so that it lay comfortably on the ground -- pausing for a moment to admire the way it shimmered in the moonlight -- and then buckled her seatbelt for her. 

“Damn, you’re stronger than you look.” Amethyst remarked. 

“I do a lot of lifting at my job.” Pearl winked. “I’ve lifted antiques far heavier than you.” 

“I can tell.” Amethyst blushed a little. 

Pearl shut the door and walked around to the other side of the car; after climbing into the driver’s seat, she shoved the key into the ignition and started it up. They made their way out of the woods and back to the road. 

As Pearl drove, Amethyst noticed a little door in front of her. “What’s this?” she asked. 

“Oh, that’s the glove compartment.” Pearl said. 

Amethyst tugged it open and saw that it was filled to the brim with papers, tiny bottles of various liquids, and dozens of stray bandages… but not gloves. _’Weird.’_

After she grew bored of her newest discovery, she closed it back up. Her attention shifted over to the little cardboard shape hanging from the mirror; it had a strong, floral scent, and was shaped like a cat’s head. 

“Oh, do you like my air freshener?” Pearl said. “Garnet found it at Hot Topic last week. She really loves Hello Kitty.” 

Amethyst only understood a fraction of that sentence. “Yeah, I like it. It smells pretty nice.” she said, leaning back against the seat again. That uncomfortable, slightly painful sense of thirst began to tingle at her throat… Hopefully the ride wouldn’t be too long. If she didn’t get herself in some water soon, she feared it’d be just as painful as her first transformation. 

Soon enough, they reached the thrift store-apartment, and Pearl pulled into the parking lot. “Alright…” Pearl glanced outside to make sure nobody was nearby before she took her keys out. “It doesn’t look like too many people are out right now, so we can _probably_ make it inside without getting caught…” 

“Worst case scenario, we tell them I got stuck in a costume.” Amethyst snorted. 

Pearl gave a huff of amusement. “True, but I’d rather avoid confrontation altogether. I’m a _terrible_ liar.” 

She slipped out of the driver’s side, hurrying over to Amethyst’s side and lifting her out of the passenger seat. She nudged the door shut with her hip, making her way across the parking lot as quickly as she could -- which wasn’t very quick, at least while carrying Amethyst -- and fumbled with the key in the door for a moment before it clicked. 

“Thank goodness…” Pearl whispered. She pushed the door open and hurried inside, locking it behind them once they were both safe. 

“Alright...” Pearl let out a sigh of relief, setting Amethyst down on the floor so she could catch her breath. “I don’t think anyone saw us.” 

“I hope not.” Amethyst rubbed her neck as she felt a twinge of pain in her gills. She _really_ needed to get some water soon. “So uh, not to rush you or anything, but where’s the bathtub?” 

“Upstairs, unfortunately.” Pearl said. 

“You don’t have to carry me anymore. I know you’re strong, but still.” Amethyst smiled reassuringly. “I can drag myself up while you get the water started, ‘kay?” 

“Are you sure?” Pearl said. 

“Positive. It’ll be faster than making you carry me up the stairs.” 

“Well… Just call for me if you change your mind.” Pearl headed straight for the bathroom. Bracing herself, Amethyst gripped the edge of the stairs and began to heave herself up, step-by-step. It was, admittedly, more difficult than she’d thought it’d be… But soon enough she had reached the top, and could hear the distant sound of running water. Gritting her teeth, she made her way down the hallway and towards the bathroom. Once she was there, she lifted herself straight into the bathtub and flopped right in. 

“Is the water warm enough?” Pearl asked. 

“It’s _perfect_.” Amethyst slouched down as much as she could, and let the water run against the gills on her neck. The faucet had only been running for a minute or two, so she had to shift around to get her body completely damp. And like magic, the aches in her body began to fade. “Ahh… Thanks so much, girlie.” 

“Of course.” Pearl said with a smile. “Is there anything else you need? Anything to eat or drink?” 

“Nah, this tub of water is all I needed.” Amethyst groaned happily, flapping her tail against the side of the tub. 

“Alright, alright…” Pearl sat down on the floor, tucking her legs beneath herself. She let out a long, deep sigh of relief, letting her head fall back against the grey tiled wall. “What a long day…” 

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Amethyst said, resting her elbows on the side of the tub. 

The two of them sat together in silence, listening to the sound of the running water. Amethyst noticed Pearl chewing her nails down to the nub. It was something she’d often caught Greg doing when he was nervous… Another weird human habit. Hoping to calm her down, she rested a hand on her shoulder -- making sure to keep her claws retracted. 

Pearl glanced back at her. “Hm?” 

“It’s all gonna be okay, girlie.” Amethyst whispered. “I promise. I’m gonna go back to being human tomorrow, so you’ll only have to deal with this for one night… And even then, we’re gonna try and find out more about… Whatever’s going on.” 

Pearl smiled warmly. “Thank you, Amethyst…” She reached for one of her hands and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I know I seemed pretty shaken up earlier, but… I truly am glad I--” 

Pearl tensed mid-sentence as she heard footsteps down the hallway. “Shit…” she whispered, rising to her feet. “I think Garnet’s home.” 

“You home, Pearlie?” an unfamiliar voice called. 

“...And Bismuth’s with her.” A blush spread across Pearl’s cheeks. 

“Oh, _shit_.” Amethyst slouched down in the tub until the water reached her nose. 

“Here, just -- ” Pearl grabbed the shower curtain and pulled it shut. “There. If anyone comes in, keep this closed and don’t make a sound.” 

“You sure that’ll work?” Amethyst raised an eyebrow. 

“Of _course_ not.” Pearl huffed. “But what else can we do?” 

“Good point.” Amethyst mumbled. 

“Regardless, I’m going to say hi to Garnet and our guest. Hopefully neither of them need to use the bathroom…” Pearl wrung her hands nervously. She glanced back at Amethyst one last time before heading out and pulling the door shut.


	9. Chapter 9

Pearl’s heart pounded in her chest as she made her way down the hallway. _’Oh goodness… What have I gotten myself into?’_ she thought with a sigh. Not only did she have to worry about Amethyst being discovered, but she always felt a little flustered whenever Bismuth was involved… Wondering how she’d keep her composure, she drew in a deep breath and puffed out her chest. 

"Good evening!” Pearl greeted in a slightly shaky tone, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. ”Did you ladies have a fun night out?" 

"Yep! You’re still free to join us for our little sleepover, by the way." Bismuth grinned. With one hand in the pocket of her overalls, she spun her keys around in her free hand. 

Pearl blushed; any other day she would have immediately jumped on that offer... “Oh, I’ll have to pass; my friend Amethyst actually decided to spend the night here!” she said. “Not that I _mind_ or anything, since this is Garnet’s apartment too, but -- weren’t you two going to stay at your house?” 

"Yep, and we still are! We just stopped by because she forgot her toothbrush.” Bismuth gestured towards Garnet, who was now walking towards the bathroom. 

Pearl tensed; of _course_ she'd forget something that was in the bathroom. "Oh, right! Toothbrushes are _very_ important. Cavities are no laughing matter!" Pearl laughed nervously, reaching for Garnet’s hand before she could get any further. "S-shall I grab it for you?” 

Garnet gave her a confused look. "Um… That's alright, I can get it.” 

"W-well, actually…” Pearl cleared her throat so she had more time to figure out what she’d say. “My friend Amethyst is taking a shower right now, so... Perhaps _I_ should go in and get it? Just for the sake of her comfort, that’s all…” 

"Oh, alright then." Garnet said; though her expression looked uncertain, because she couldn't hear the shower running. 

_’Idiot. Why didn’t you just say bath?’_ Pearl turned and darted down the hallway at full speed. _Damn,_ was she terrible at lying... But at least Garnet and Bismuth weren't being _too_ nosy that night. Pearl grabbed Garnet's toothbrush from the colorful cup on the sink -- and a couple floss picks, because she knew she’d forget to floss otherwise -- and slipped them into a little ziploc bag. 

"Everything okay?" Amethyst whispered, peering out from behind the curtains. 

"I sure hope so.” Pearl said. 

She then hurried out of the bathroom and back to the living room. "Here you go!" Pearl said as she handed the bag to Garnet, slightly out of breath. "Anything else you need?" 

"Not... really. Thank you, though." Garnet said, stuffing the bag into her purse. 

“Anyway, I hope you two have fun!” Pearl urged, tugging the door open and gesturing towards the staircase. “Do some face masks, maybe bake some cookies, and other sorts of sleepover-type activities!” 

"Same to you, Pearlie girlie.” Bismuth said with a wink. Garnet chuckled, and pulled the door shut behind herself as they left. 

Pearl listened closely as they walked down the stairs; once they were gone, she locked the door and let out a sigh of relief. _'Goodness gracious.'_ Then, she turned and hurried back towards the bathroom. 

“So… We in the clear?” Amethyst asked. 

“Yes.” Pearl said, tugging the shower curtain aside. “That said, I’m almost _positive_ they think we’re having sex.” 

Amethyst burst into laughter. “Oh, damn. I’m so sorry.” 

"It's fine; it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve brought a woman home with me, so it’s no surprise to anyone." Pearl shrugged, sitting down on the floor. “If anything, I should be apologizing to you.” 

“Oh?” Amethyst rested her elbows on the side of the tub. “So you _are_ into girls?” 

Pearl snorted. “Of course I am. Haven’t you noticed the double venus pin on my purse?” 

“Dunno what that is, but if it means I like girls, then I want one.” 

Pearl chuckled. “Ah, right. I forgot you’re still learning about these sorts of things… It’s nothing important.” 

“Alrighty then.” Amethyst shifted her position, slouching back down into the tub with a contented sigh. Her gills opened and closed, taking in the fresh, warm water… As she relaxed, she watched as Pearl, too, did the same -- or at least the human equivalent. The human took a long breath in, her chest puffing out... held it for a moment... and released it slowly. 

From this angle, as she watched and observed her breathing, Amethyst couldn’t help noticing how pretty Pearl's face was... Long and narrow, with a tall and curved nose... A slender body with smooth, light tan skin... When Pearl glanced her way, though, her expression fell. "Is something wrong?" 

Amethyst tilted her head. "Nah. Nothing at all. You're just really pretty right now.” 

Pearl only looked more confused at that response; Amethyst wondered if she'd violated some kind of human social cue... So she averted her gaze and slipped down into the water. "Sorry if that was weird.” 

"No, it's not weird." Pearl responded, turning back to face Amethyst. "Well, staring at me like a fool _was_ a little bit weird of you. But... Thank you for calling me pretty. Coming from a mermaid with shimmering purple hair and a sparkling tail, that probably means something." 

Amethyst smiled awkwardly. "Oh? What's it mean?" 

Pearl burst into laughter. "It means I'm calling _you_ pretty, you airhead." 

"Oh." Amethyst blushed and slouched down even further. "Well, thanks.” she responded after a few moments, her voice slightly muffled by the water. 

Pear giggled. "By the way… Would you like me to brush your hair? It’s a little messy, and I wouldn’t want it getting tangled when it dries.” 

Amethyst wasn’t sure why that mattered, but for whatever reason, Pearl seemed eager… So she had no reason to tell her no. "Sure, knock yourself out.” 

Pearl rose to her feet and approached a cabinet near the sink, taking out her hair brush. After plucking out a few strands of her orange hair, she seated herself on the edge of the tub, and Amethyst shifted her position so she could reach. 

She ran the brush through that silky hair, tangling the knots as gently as she could; but every now and then, Amethyst let out a little yelp. 

“Sorry.” Pearl said, picking out a couple bits of seaweed. “I’m being as careful as I can.” 

“I believe ya. I don’t really ‘brush’ my hair that much, so it’s probably a lot to deal with, heh.” Amethyst chuckled. 

Pearl had assumed that was the case; but despite the knotty-ness of it all, it still shimmered in the dim bathroom lighting, and carried a faint, yet pleasant scent of seawater. 

“There we go…” Pearl announced after what felt like an hour, but in reality, was probably closer to ten minutes. “I got _most_ of the knots out, anyway.” Pearl yawned and cupped a hand over her mouth. 

“Thanks, Pearlie.” Amethyst said, running her fingers through her smooth hair. “You wanna go to bed? For a minute, I forgot humans normally go to sleep around now…” 

"I'm a bit tired, but.." Pearl yawned again. "I want to make sure _you_ fall asleep first.” 

"Well, if you wanna stay up with me, you're in for a _long_ night." Amethyst winked. “I’m nocturnal, baby.” 

"Really?" Pearl tilted her head. "That’s interesting… But I’d feel horrible leaving you alone all night. I don’t have to work tomorrow, so… I’ll at least stay up as long as I can. If I were in _your_ shoes -- excuse me, fins -- I’d want to have someone to keep me company.” 

“Well, that’s real sweet of ya, Pearlie…” Amethyst said. 

Pearl turned her gaze towards Amethyst again, running a hand through her hair and tucking it behind her ears. “Your eyes are so… strange, you know?” Pearl said. “In an intriguing way. The shape of your pupils and the way they reflect light… It reminds me of a cat’s, or a raccoon’s, even.” 

“Well, they _are_ nighttime critters like me.” Amethyst said. 

“That’s true.” Pearl smiled a little. Her expression changed. “Now that I think of it… they’re a little bit similar to Rose’s. Her eyes are dark, though, so it’s a bit more subtle… But I swear I’ve noticed that her pupils were more… slit-like than Greg’s, for example…” 

Amethyst’s heart sank. _’Shit.’_ she thought, raking her claws against the tub. _This_ was what Rose must’ve meant when she said Pearl would make the connection… 

As Pearl pondered, with that curious, charming look in her blue eyes, Amethyst tried to think of _some_ way to distract her before she could think about it any further… So in an act of bravery, she leaned forward and brought their lips together in a kiss. 

At first, Pearl’s eyes widened; but her body showed no sign of protest, and her shoulders soon fell downward, her eyes shutting… She gripped Amethyst’s shoulders tight. 

What started out as an impulsive act to distract Pearl ended up sending shivers down Amethyst’s spine. Staying mindful of her claws, Amethyst slipped her hands around Pearl’s waist and tugged her closer -- and with no consideration of the consequences, pulled her into the bathtub with a splash. 

Only then did Pearl pull away from the kiss, her eyes wide. But her expression softened quickly, and she couldn’t help but giggle. “Goodness, haven’t you gotten my clothes wet enough for one day?” she teased. 

“Sorry.” Amethyst blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. “It was just some weird impulse thing.” 

“Well, I’m already in here, so I might as well stay.” Pearl whispered, pressing her foreheads together. Amethyst shuddered; she could smell something fruity and sweet on Pearl’s glistening lips, and tasted a trace of it on her own. Lip gloss, she vaguely recalled. 

“...Do you want more?” Pearl asked, breaking the silence. 

Her heart fluttering, Amethyst brought their lips together again. She grabbed Pearl by the waist, pulling her close until their torsos touched. She pulled away just long enough to purr, “Does that answer your question?” before kissing her yet again. 

Pearl dragged her fingers through Amethyst’s hair with one hand, and stroked her fin with the other. The smooth, scaly texture felt lovely on her fingertips… As she moved her hand back upward, she felt the scales that went up Amethyst’s torso, lightly scattering her tummy and fading into her soft, beautiful skin. 

“Goodness…” Pearl whispered against Amethyst’s neck, trailing kisses all the way down to her shoulders. She stopped at her collarbone, just above the edge of Amethyst’s tank top, and gazed up into her eyes once more. 

Amethyst ran her fingers across Pearl’s spine, causing her to let out a little whimper. “You’re so pretty…” she whispered. “You know, even if we never figure out what’s going on with us… I wanna do this again.” 

“I’d _love_ that.” Pearl said, burying her face into Amethyst’s shoulder. 

A comfortable silence fell between the two; Pearl lay comfortably at Amethyst’s side, taking in her comfortable, earthy scent… Amethyst wrapped an arm around her waist and held her tight. Soon enough, Pearl had begun to doze off; and despite her nocturnal instincts, Amethyst couldn’t help but do the same.

* * *

Pearl’s eyes slowly adjusted to the morning light. With a groan, she sat upright and flinched upon realizing that not only was she surrounded by water… But she’d fallen asleep in the bathtub, and Amethyst was laying right beside her. 

As her gaze travelled downwards, her heart raced once she saw a pair of legs -- fully unclothed at that. Wanting to respect her privacy, Pearl stood upright and climbed out of the tub, pulling the curtain shut. 

And just like that, Pearl’s heart sank down to her stomach. _’But what if…’_ A cold sweat covered her body as doubt began to set in, wondering if the previous night had all been in her head… 

Pearl removed her damp clothes and grabbed a bathrobe. _’It’s fine.’_ she thought, attempting to shake it off. _’Don’t obsess over it. You can ask her about it when she wakes up.’_

As she made her way out of the bathroom, her bare foot met something hard and sharp. Hissing in pain, she balanced on the wall with one arm, peeling the offending object off from her heel and examining it. 

A shimmering purple scale. 

Pearl let out a long sigh of relief, clutching the scale tight in her palms as she slid down the wall and onto the floor. It was _real._ Everything that happened last night… The transformation, the kiss… _All_ of it. Just like that, her fear dissolved, and the butterflies in her chest began to take over. 

“Can I borrow a skirt?” 

Pearl let out a rather embarrassing _yelp_. Ironically, she’d forgotten Amethyst was still there; she spun around and glanced at Amethyst’s sleepy face peering out from behind the curtains, and laughed nervously. “Yes, of course!” she finally said once she recollected herself. “Let me just…” 

Pearl hurried out of the bathroom and towards her bedroom. After sticking the scale into a little jewelry box and properly drying herself off -- geez, was her skin wrinkly from soaking all night -- she slipped into a fresh pair of jeans and a tank top. Then, she made her way towards Garnet’s room; none of her own clothes had a chance of fitting Amethyst, and while Garnet was tall, she was also a bit heavier… So maybe one of her shorter skirts would work? 

Pearl rummaged through Garnet’s dresser, eventually retrieving a stretchy, light blue skirt. It reached Garnet’s knees when she wore it, so it’d almost reach the ankles on Amethyst. She’d probably want something to replace her wet tank top, too, so she grabbed a big tee shirt as well, bringing them back to the bathroom. “Here you go!” 

“Thanks, Pearlie.” Amethyst said. She stood upright, stretching her arms and her newly formed legs for a moment. Blushing, Pearl glanced the other way. 

Amethyst gave her a confused expression for a moment; then, she remembered humans had some sort of taboo about nudity… So she shrugged it off, drying herself off with a towel and slipping into the clothes Pearl had brought her. 

“Alrighty, you can look now.” Amethyst said. “I mean, you never had to look away, but ya know.” 

“Oh, alright. I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable...” Pearl blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Did you… sleep alright?” 

“Actually, I did. Which is weird, considering now’s about the time I usually go to bed.” Amethyst snorted, smoothing her hair out with her fingers. “Man, Rose is _really_ gonna kick my ass when I get home. I snuck out _and_ lost her skirt when I transformed… I should probably get my own clothes soon, now that I think of it. I’m always borrowing _something_ from someone, and I hate having to be responsible for it.” 

Pearl chuckled. “Well, you don’t have to head home just yet… You can stay here a bit longer if you’d like.” 

“You sure?” Amethyst said, stepping out onto the bath mat. “I don’t wanna be a pain in your ass, I mean, I already--” 

Pearl stroked Amethyst’s chin, causing her to tense up. The latter gazed up into that blue-eyed gaze and immediately relaxed. “It’s alright.” she reassured. “You’re _not_ a pain in the ass. I… Admittedly, I’m still not sure how to feel about all of this, but… One thing I know for _certain_ is that I like you, Amethyst.” 

Amethyst blushed. “I… I really like you too… Can we, uh…” She leaned up on her toes as if to cue that she wanted to kiss again. Pearl chuckled. “Not until I’ve brushed my teeth.” 

“Oh, right.” Amethyst blushed. “Speaking of that, can I borrow a tooth brushing thing? Wasn’t prepared for a sleepover, so…” 

“You can’t _borrow_ one, but you can have one.” Pearl winked. She grabbed a toothbrush from the cabinet and tossed it over to Amethyst. 

Amethyst laughed. “Right, right. Mouth germs and all that.” she said, though she wasn’t sure how that was any different from kissing… Regardless, she squirted some of that tooth-cleaning substance into her toothbrush and began to brush her teeth. 

Once their mouths were both clean, Pearl smoothed her hair out with her comb. Amethyst couldn’t help but envy her; with such short hair, brushing it only took a few seconds… Meanwhile, her hair was so long that taking care of it was a whole ordeal. 

“Do you like coffee?” Pearl asked, turning and heading down the stairs. “Or tea?” 

“I’m fine with either.” Amethyst responded. She followed close behind, shoving her hands into the skirt pockets. 

“Tea it is, then.” Pearl said. She filled a kettle up with some water and placed it on the stove. 

As Pearl went about her business, Amethyst seated herself at the table and fidgeted anxiously with the tablecloth as she waited. Part of her wanted to make conversation just to fill the awkward silence; but every time she opened her mouth to speak, she closed it right back up. _’Geez, I’m never shy like this…’_ she thought shamefully. 

Thankfully, it didn’t last too long; before she knew it, Pearl had brought two steaming cups over to the table, and had seated herself in the chair beside Amethyst. 

“Now…” Pearl began, reaching for Amethyst’s chin. “Do you still want a kiss? Or has that window passed?” 

And just like that, Amethyst perked right up. “Take a wild guess.” she teased, leaning in and closing the gap between their lips. 

This kiss was much shorter, however, because they heard the front door creak open, and Pearl immediately pulled away. Her cheeks flushing, she grabbed her cup of tea and took a sip -- only to _hiss_ as she burned herself. 

“Good morning.” Garnet said. 

“Hey there.” Amethyst said, still recovering from the whiplash of how _quickly_ Pearl’s mood had shifted. Whatever her reason for not wanting Garnet to see them kissing, Amethyst didn’t quite know, but decided to shrug it off for the time being. 

“Did you two have a fun night?” Garnet added with a wink. 

Pearl immediately took another sip of her tea. Amethyst couldn’t help but snort; as smooth as Pearl had been last night, she sure turned into an awkward mess when anyone else was involved. 

“Yeah, it was pretty chill.” Amethyst said, grabbing a packet of sugar from a bowl in the middle of the table. She ripped it open and poured it into her cup of tea, stirring it around with her finger. 

“That’s good to hear. Bismuth and I had a lot of fun, too..” Garnet said, setting her backpack on the couch. 

Pearl, on the other hand, refused to speak, and merely busied herself with drinking her tea -- or at least pretending to. Amethyst wasn’t quite sure. 

“Well… I’ll be in my room, then.” Garnet said, beginning to realize her presence was making Pearl uneasy. Her expression slightly concerned, she turned and made her way down the hallway. 

Once she was out of the room, Pearl finally set down her cup of tea. “ _Ouch._ ” she said, rubbing her throat. 

Amethyst burst into laughter. “Man, isn’t she your roommate? Why are you so afraid of her now?” 

“I’m not _afraid_ of her, I just...” Pearl blushed. “Wasn’t expecting her to come home so early. I have a feeling she’ll ask me about last night, and I’m… still processing it myself, I suppose. And I’ll have to continue lying -- at least about the mermaid part -- which I’m _terrible_ at. I _already_ made a fool of myself last night, trying to keep you from being discovered.” 

“Ohh…” Amethyst said, taking a hesitant sip of her tea. “I’m… sorry about all this.” 

“It isn’t your fault.” Pearl reassured, placing a hand on Amethyst’s shoulder. “Well, perhaps a little bit, but…” She slid her hand down Amethyst’s arm and reached for her hand. “I’m glad this happened.” 

Amethyst leaned her head against Pearl’s shoulder. “I am, too…” she said. Gazing up into her eyes, she added, “I can’t fix everything, or make the whole situation any less awkward, but… Did you burn your mouth?” 

“I did.” Pearl shuddered. 

“Do you want me to kiss it better?” Amethyst winked. 

Pearl chuckled. “Yes, I think that would help quite a bit.” she said, and the two of them kissed once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading the chapter, i hope you guys are enjoying the story!! nwn


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> though there was an unexpected hiatus, this fic IS still alive!!! >:3 i've been super busy lately, but hopefully i'll be able to update regularly from now on! hope you enjoy the chapter! <3

Amethyst braced herself for the storm just waiting beyond the door. She drew in a long, deep breath, clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides. 

She glanced back at the driveway; Pearl was waiting in her car, watching to make sure Amethyst made it inside safely. Amethyst forced a grin and waved back at her. She appreciated that Pearl cared so much, but secretly wished she'd drive off just so she wouldn't have so much pressure on her shoulders. As she turned back around, though, she heard the sound of footsteps in the entry room, followed by the door creaking open. 

Rose stood in the doorway, her gaze not even meeting Amethyst's; instead, she stared past her and towards Pearl in the driveway. She smiled warmly and waved to her. Assured that Amethyst wasn’t locked out, Pearl waved in return and went on her merry way. 

Amethyst felt sick to her stomach. The moment Pearl was out of sight, she braced herself for Rose’s wrath -- but instead, was greeted with a hand on the shoulder. 

Flinching, she turned her gaze up towards Rose; but she saw no anger in those dark brown eyes, only concern. "Are you alright?" Rose asked. 

Tears filled Amethyst's eyes. "I'm sorry." she said, turning away so Rose couldn’t see. 

"That's not what I asked." Rose said, kneeling down so that she was at eye-level with Amethyst. "Are you alright?" 

Amethyst swallowed a lump in her throat. Was this some kind of trick? Was Rose just trying to lure her in, only to explode the moment she let her guard down? "I... I'm okay." she responded. 

Rose cupped Amethyst's cheek, gazing into her eyes. "Who saw?" 

"Just Pearl," Amethyst said. Despite all of Rose’s efforts, she refused to look her in the eyes. “I’m so sorry.” 

Rose nodded in understanding. "I forgive you. I'm glad it was only her." She pulled Amethyst into a tight embrace that lifted her slightly off the ground. Amethyst returned it, burying her face into Rose's shoulder. 

"So… were you right?” Rose asked, placing Amethyst back on the ground. 

Amethyst tilted her head. “What?” 

“About Pearl. Was she a mermaid, too?” Rose said with a wink. 

Amethyst burst into laughter. “Yeah, no. I was reaching a little with that theory… I think she’s gonna keep her lips sealed, though.” 

“Well, I would think so. Pearl has always been rather trustworthy...” Rose said, ruffling Amethyst’s hair. She made her way into the living room, seating herself on the couch beside Lion, who immediately crawled onto her lap. 

“Where’re Steven and Greg?” Amethyst asked. 

“Out doing some grocery shopping. I’d normally go with them, but since I was unsure of your whereabouts, or when you'd come back, I decided I should stay here.” Rose said, running her fingers through Lion’s fur. “Have you eaten today?” 

Amethyst was still so taken aback that Rose wasn’t… mad. Well, she was most likely hiding a little bit of anger underneath the exterior -- but with the boys out of the house, she had the perfect opportunity to yell… And yet she didn’t. Maybe she _was_ in the clear. “Yeah. Pearl made me some tea and toast.” 

“That sounds like her." Rose smile a little. 

“Yeah, heh…” Amethyst trailed off, twirling her hair around her fingers. 

A silence filled the room as Rose stroked Lion’s fur. She glanced over at Amethyst again. “You know you don’t have to just _stand_ there, right? You can come sit down if you want.” 

Amethyst flinched. “Oh, right. I guess I was just… I dunno. Not expecting you to be so calm about this. It’s almost scary?” 

“Don’t worry, I got all of my anger out of my system last night.” Rose chuckled. “It’s all said and done -- right now, I’m just thankful you’re alright, and that it was only Pearl who found out. And more importantly, I forgive you.” Rose said. She patted the empty space beside her on the couch. “Now come on, sit down and talk to me. You’re not _entirely_ off the hook. You need to tell me what happened last night.” 

Amethyst made her way over to the couch, sitting down and crossing her legs. “Well… I met up with Pearl at the beach. Turned into a mermaid in front of her. She kinda freaked out, but once she calmed down she offered to let me spend the night… I hung out in her bathtub and…” Amethyst’s cheeks flushed as she remembered what happened next. 

“And?” Rose raised an eyebrow. “Are you certain Garnet didn’t see?” 

“No, no, that’s not it.” Amethyst said. “It’s just that, uh… We… kinda kissed a little?” Amethyst shyly rubbed the back of her neck. 

“Oh I see how it is.” Rose teased, giving Amethyst a playful shove. “First you go against my orders, and then you hook up with the women you snuck out with? What a little rebel.” 

Amethyst laughed. “Hey, it was _just_ kissing. And well, she fell asleep in the tub with me, too. But nothing else.” 

“Alright, alright.” Rose huffed with amusement, ruffling Amethyst’s hair. “What about Garnet? She lives with Pearl, does she not? How did she not see you -- do they have two bathrooms in such a small apartment?” 

“She was out spending the night with some other girl. Bismuth or something?” Amethyst shrugged. 

“Ah. You’re lucky you had such good timing.” Rose said. Lion let out a little “mrow” and pawed at Rose’s arm, and she scritched him behind the ears. “You’re needy, huh?” 

Amethyst smiled, reaching over and petting him as well. “Yeah, it was a close call.” she said. 

“So… The real question here is this; did you tell her about me, too?” Rose asked. “Or did she even make the connection on her own? She’s a smart one, so I wouldn’t put it past her.” 

“Well… not exactly?” Amethyst said. “I think she had a _little_ hunch. But I started kissing her before she could think too much about it.” 

Rose burst into laughter. “That’s _one_ way to deal with it, I suppose.” she said. “I have a feeling she’ll figure it out eventually… But I'd still rather you don't tell her. If Pearl ever does find out… Which she more than likely will... I want it to be on my own terms.” 

“Totally. I understand.” Amethyst said. “But uh… since the cat’s already out of the bag, you mind if I hang out with her next time I transform?” 

“I’ve already learned I can’t tell you what to do.” Rose snorted. “But… all I ask is that you keep yourself safe.” 

“Dude, of course. I know I’ve been kinda careless, but I at least have a _little_ common sense.” 

“I know, I know, but…” Rose sighed. “I feel like… I sort of made it seem like I really only cared about keeping Steven and myself safe. But it wasn’t _just_ that -- I was scared something could happen to _you_ , too. Because I truly care about you, Amethyst. You’ve sort of become part of the Universe family…” 

Amethyst leaned against Rose’s shoulder. “Aww… Rose, you sap. You really mean that?” 

“Of _course._ ” Rose hugged her tight. “I hope you know I’d be _devastated_ if anything had happened to you last night.” 

“Well… If I didn’t before, _now_ I do for sure.” Amethyst smiled and returned the hug.

* * *

Throughout the next week, Pearl kept that opalescent mermaid tail with her as if her life depended on it. Whether she was up in her apartment or working downstairs in the antique store, it was either clutched tight in her palm or stowed away in her pocket. 

Every now and then, a slight tinge of fear arose -- the fear that what had happened was all in her head, that she was losing her grip on reality -- but when that happened, all she needed to do was look at that opalescent scale. And like magic, a wave of relief would wash over her, assuring her that everything was alright. 

Every time the door to the store opened, Pearl half-hoped it was Amethyst coming for a visit. In the past, she’d always found her presence a bit annoying -- but now, just thinking about it filled her heart with joy. 

As the day went on, and customers began to dwindle, her thoughts about Amethyst began to pile up until she couldn’t take it anymore. Once she found a gap where there were no customers in the store, she reached for the phone and dialed Rose’s number. 

_Ring…  
Ring…  
Ring…  
Ri-_

“Hello?” Rose greeted. 

Even more butterflies. At times, Pearl detested how easily she crushed on every woman she met… But Rose was a married woman, while Amethyst… _she_ was worth investing time into. So she shook off her flustered feelings and cleared her throat. 

“Hello, Rose!” she greeted. “I was just wondering… Is Amethyst home right now?” 

“She certainly is!” Rose said; she had a _slight_ knowing tone in her voice, which made Pearl’s heart flutter. “Just a moment.” 

“Thank you!” Pearl said. As she waited, she seated herself on the edge of the counter and twirled the phone cord around her fingers. 

_Ding._ The door to the shop opened for the first time that hour. Of _course_. Regardless, Pearl set the phone aside and smiled warmly at the woman who’d walked in. “Good evening! Let me know if you need help with anything.” 

The woman didn’t even look her way. Shrugging, Pearl put the phone back up to her ear. 

“Howdy.” Amethyst said. 

“Hello!” Pearl said. “How’ve you been doing today?” 

“Oh, uh. I’ve been doin’ alright. Just playing this ‘Zebra’ game with Steven.” 

“It’s _Zelda_!” Steven’s distant voice corrected. 

Pearl chuckled. “Sounds like a lot of fun. I was wondering…” she began, glancing back every now and then. The customer seemed to just be browsing, so she wouldn’t pester her with questions. “Would you want to come over here for a visit? It’s been such a slow night here…” 

“Oh, totally! You mind if I bring the little rascal along?” Amethyst asked. 

“Absolutely! I’m always in the mood to see that little sweetie pie.” Pearl said, turning the miniature fan on the counter so that it could blow directly on her. 

“Alrighty then. We’ll be over once we’re done playing.” Amethyst said. “Which shouldn’t be too long. He’s really low on health.” 

“Hey, this boss is hard!” Steven pouted. 

Pearl smiled. “Alright. I’ll see you then!” she said, and placed the phone back on the receiver. She slid down from the counter, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the mermaid scale for what was likely the hundredth time that day. She held it up in the slightly-dim store light, admiring how it glistened… 

“Where did you get that?” a voice asked, causing Pearl to flinch. She turned around and met eyes with her current customer; a tall, slightly muscular woman with pale blonde hair. 

“Oh! Um.” Pearl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear once her heart rate returned to normal. “I... I just happened to find it on the beach." she began. She was never a good liar. "A pretty little thing, isn’t it? I’ve been trying to figure out what sort of sea creature it could’ve come from…” 

The woman merely smirked at that response. She then turned and headed back away, just barely reaching the door -- when it creaked open, and Steven and Amethyst walked in. The woman’s expression changed immediately -- and she went right back to shopping, as if something had changed her mind. 

_’Hm…’_ Pearl thought, but was immediately distracted by a tight hug from Steven as he barreled towards her. “Hey Pearl!” he greeted. 

“Oh, hello there!” Pearl said, giving him a pat on the head in return. “It is _way_ too hot to be hugging me right now, but I appreciate the affection.” 

“Oops, sorry!” Steven said, quickly letting her go. 

“Hey, Pearlie girlie.” Amethyst said. “How’s your night going?” 

“It’s been going just fine.” Pearl said. “I’ve missed you, you know…” she added, extending a hand towards Amethyst. The latter reached out and gave it a squeeze, a smile spreading across her face. 

“I’ve missed ya too.” Amethyst said. “We should hang out again sometime.” 

Steven giggled and gave Amethyst a nudge. “Aww, are you guys _girlfriends_?” 

“None of your business, twerp.” Amethyst teased, ruffling his hair. Pearl cupped a hand over her mouth as she chuckled. 

“Pearl and Amethyst sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I --” 

Before Steven could finish his little song, Amethyst pulled him into a headlock and gave him a noogie. “You little shithead!” 

“ -- N-G!” Steven sputtered out between his laughter. 

“Hey Steven, I have an idea.” Pearl suggested once Amethyst had released Steven from her grip. “How about you find yourself something to take home with you? It’ll be on me.” 

“Whoa, for real?” Steven gasped. 

“Of course! Please keep it under five dollars, though. Me and Garnet have a business to run, after all.” Pearl said with a wink. 

“Oh yeah, speaking of that tall lady, where’s she at?” Amethyst asked, watching as Steven skipped over to the sea shell basket. 

“She just had to go run some errands. She _should_ be back any minute, now…” Pearl said, glancing out the window in search of their car. “But knowing her, she has a tendency to get distracted…” 

“Well, that’s fine by me. Just gives me more time to make a move on you.” Amethyst said with a wink, leaning against the counter. “You look _adorable_ in that outfit. I love when you tuck your shirt in like that.” 

“Even when I’m drenched in sweat?” Pearl scoffed. 

“ _Especially_ when you’re drenched in sweat.” 

Pear huffed with amusement. “You pig.” 

As Pearl and Amethyst flirted, Steven busied himself by digging through the basket of sea shells. “Ooh… pretty…” he remarked as he pulled out a huge, beautiful sea star. 

As he turned to make his way back towards the register, a figure in the store caught his eye -- a tall, slightly familiar woman was standing near the china sets, but not quite looking at them. Instead, she was listening in on Pearl and Amethyst’s conversation -- and once she noticed Steven, she gazed at him for a moment, and then quickly averted her gaze. 

Steven’s heart pounded. It was the woman from a few weeks ago -- the one who’d snuck up on Amethyst and scared them both… Feeling a bit nervous, he hurried over to Amethyst and hugged her arm tight. “Hey, Amethyst? I-I think I’m ready to go home.” he whispered. 

“We just got here, dork.” Amethyst said. “Did you find something nice?” 

Steven glanced back at the china section -- but Jasper was no longer in sight. Letting out a sigh of relief, he released his grip on Amethyst’s arm. “Yeah. Uh, a seastar!” He held up the starfish and placed it on the counter. 

“What a good choice!” Pearl said. She placed the starfish in a little paper bag and handed it back over to Steven. 

“So… see ya next weekend?” Amethyst asked. 

“Yes. Absolutely.” Pearl said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“Alrighty then. Let’s go, kiddo.” Amethyst said. And with that, the two of them made their way back out the door.

* * *

The sun had begun to set over the horizon; another day gone by, and she _still_ hadn’t completed her mission. Yellow Diamond was _not_ going to be happy with her… but it was getting late, and she was feeling weary after disrupting her natural circadian rhythm. 

With a defeated sigh, she uncorked a half-empty vial and gulped down the remaining crimson liquid. She heaved herself into the lapping water, her legs fusing together and forming a mermaid’s tail. 

Jasper tore through the saltwater, her crimson tail flapping behind herself as she made her way deeper. Soon enough, the water around her was pitch black -- save for the distant, glowing cavern in the distance. Jasper quickened her pace, making her way inside. 

Once she swam through the entrance, she was met with a blinding golden light -- the source of it being a massive, beautiful mermaid. She lay sprawled out on a bed of coral and seaweed, her shimmering golden scales bright enough to light up the entire cavern. She turned her head, her bright yellow eyes meeting Jasper’s; her expression immediately fell. 

“So, where is she?” Yellow Diamond asked. 

“I…” Jasper began, her gaze falling downward. “I’ve… I’ve searched everywhere. I’ve even found Amethyst, of _all_ people… But Pink still evades me.” she admitted. 

Silence. Yellow Diamond merely narrowed her eyes, but didn’t say anything, as if she expected Jasper to explain herself further. 

“I… I’m sorry to disappoint you.” Jasper continued. “But if you want… I could _definitely_ bring Amethyst back home.” 

Yellow cupped Jasper’s chin with her massive hand and tilted her head up so she could look into her eyes. The smaller mermaid looked simply pitiful… She was trying so hard to keep a neutral expression, but could sense the fear behind her eyes. 

“If I wanted that pathetic excuse for a mermaid in my kingdom, I would have never let her leave to begin with.” Yellow began. “She can wither away into seafoam for all I care. I want _Pink._ And if you come back without her one more time…” Yellow raked her fingers through the corals beneath her. “You’ll be _joining_ Amethyst. And you don’t want that, do you?” 

A silence filled the cavern. Jasper averted her gaze, gritting her teeth in frustration. 

“Forgive me.” Jasper finally said, and she bowed her head. “I won’t disappoint you again. Next time… I won’t be coming here alone.” 

“You are sincerely lucky there’s a next time at _all_.” Yellow scoffed. She clapped her hands together, and another vial of red liquid appeared before Jasper. “This is your last chance to redeem yourself, Jasper. I am _not_ wasting another transformation vial on your fruitless attempts.” 

“Understood. I won’t let you down.” Jasper said. Without another word, she turned and swam off. 

Dread filled Jasper’s chest; she wanted nothing more than to lay down and never have to breach the ocean’s surface again. Failure after failure… all in search of some former mermaid who couldn’t care less about her colony. 

_’Idiot.’_ she thought, shooting a glare back towards Yellow’s cavern. _’Pink betrayed us all, and she won’t be coming back without a fight -- why won’t they just get over it?’_ she thought, laying down on a bed of seaweed and tucking the vial away. _’It’s not worth festering over… But damn, does Yellow know how to piss me off.’_ she thought, laying down on her back. She gazed up at the orange sky, distorted by the surface of the ocean. 

_’Human-turned-mermaids to tend to flock together… Whether they mean to or not.’_ she thought, allowing her eyes to fall shut. _’Tomorrow… I’ll have to try and use that to my advantage…’_


End file.
